Revenge of The Fallen
by Calliope693
Summary: Sequel to ‘Never underestimate a girl’. Two years after the events of Mission City, Sam and Kim went on with their lives on separated ways. What they didn’t know was that someone else had different plans for them. 2009 Movieverse
1. Chapter 1: Two years later

**Revenge of The Fallen**

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Never underestimate a girl'. Two years after the events of Mission City, Sam and Kim went on with their lives on separated ways. What they didn't know was that someone else had different plans for them. (2009 Movieverse)

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Here it is. The sequel to 'Never underestimate a girl' is up! Revenge has come! MWUAAAAHHH-*cough, cough*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you think this is just a parody of the movie and will be just like it, then you're probably right. If you've seen 'Revenge of the Fallen' then you know how this will end. You may not know how things will go with my two characters! And if you want to know, I'll be right here to tell you!

Before we start, I have to say that Jazz and Sunstreaker are in this too, 'cause I love 'em too much!!!! And Sideswipe is still a Lamborghini, though a silver one.

Note:

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… enjoy! ;)

* * *

**1- ****Two years later**

Two years have passed since the events of Mission City, and in that time the Autobots have forged an alliance with the humans. New Autobots landed on Earth, bringing the hope of long-lasting peace with them. But Decepticons soon began to resurface as well. Thus the creation of the NEST, a secret military unit created to seek out and eliminate the Decepticons still remaining on the planet.

Following the disbanding of Sector Seven, NEST was set up under William Lennox, to create a combined United States Military/Autobot defense force against the Decepticons. However, seeing that there wasn't a continent without a Decepticon visitor, it soon expanded to include armed forces from other nations. The world seemed borderless, as soldiers from all countries were involved in some way.

Officially, the US government still kept the Transformers' existence a secret, gladly accepting the help from an old friend, who personally witnessed their goodness, and had a chance to fight side by side with them: Kimberly Anne Witwicky, Autobot's official public relations representative.

Meaning: she was a link between Autobots and humans, one to ask questions about both races. She'd eagerly spent the last two years learning as much as possible about her friends' costumes, with Jazz's and Ratchet's help. But she also explained all questions about human-related things the bots needed her to answer.

The young hacker was constantly travelling throughout the States along with her guardian, Jazz. Few months ago, she moved to Los Angeles, where she worked in a minor military base. Her parents decided to sell their apartment and to live in their old house, seeing that Sam wanted to go to college, and the house wouldn't have anyone to take care of it.

Samantha Jade Witwicky, in fact, decided she had had enough of giant aliens. She didn't envy her sister's job, and decided to attempt college instead. Although she didn't mind having Bumblebee hiding in her garage, she knew the Autobot needed more. Going to college was the best solution for both.

Bumblebee would have been free to go where he needed and wanted to, and Sam would have her normality back. She so much wanted to be normal again, to go to college and make friends – _human_ ones, not holograms – talk to them about trivialities, and not things involving the fate of not just one world, but two.

So that's where their story begins…

* * *

*Shanghai, China*

Beneath the glowing moon, several soldiers probed a region of Shanghai, which was evacuated to allow the NEST military to deploy with a cover-up of an oil spill occurring.

Thousands residents fled, while helicopters from NEST hovered above the ground troops, who were helping the civilians to evacuate. They didn't know, but the true reason the soldiers were deployed there was because they detected Decepticon signature in that area.

Major Lennox and his men followed a radiation blip to a construction site. Everything seemed still in the cold Chinese night. Nothing moved as the humans flared out to search the place.

Upon hearing a familiar engine, Lennox turned his head to a black TopKick driving towards them. Ironhide transformed, and the humans approached him, his nostrils steaming in the cold.

"I smell Decepticon stench here." The black weapon specialist muttered.

"How many?" Lennox asked, turning to Epps.

"Sensors don't give an exact number, but he's right. There are traces of radiation. And whatever it is, it's still here." Epps informed them.

"I sent the twins to taunt the Decepticons in the area to show themselves." Lennox nodded at Ironhide's statement, radioing the twins.

**Ding-a-ling, come out an' get yo' ice cream…** Mudflap's voice came out the small device.

…**any bad robot out there better get ready for an a****ft-whoopin'!**Skids added, as both trundled along the road, combined as a terrifying, menacing… beat up ice cream truck.

Will raised an eyebrow at the radio, then turned to Ironhide, who snorted with the look 'don't ask' on his faceplate. Lennox turned the radio off, and motioned for his men to scatter, and keep searching the place.

Suddenly, Epps threw up a hand, signalling them to come where he was. His handheld unit screeched angrily the closer he got to the giant excavator, that stood in the center of the site.

"I got a reading. Oh man, it's huge!!" Epps exclaimed as his scanner picked up the heat signature of the Decepticon Demolishor.

All the soldiers prepared their weapons upon hearing the Sergeant's statement. Noises of grinding machinery and screeching metal followed suit, as the excavator transformed, snarling angrily as the soldiers began their assault. In fury, the Decepticon smashed his arms on the ground, flinging concrete pipes to crush the approaching NEST troopers, before rolling away, on a gigantic single wheel, to the nearby freeway.

Ironhide motioned for Lennox to approach, as he reverted to vehicle mode, gunning his engine, and taking off in hot pursuit.

Unbeknownst to them, another Decepticon observed the scene from the shadows.

_Time for the great escape…_ Sideways thought, as he watched Demolishor shrugging off the NEST's attacks. Being only a simple courier, he always teamed up with larger Decepticons, so that his companion took all the heat! Besides, delivering messages required intelligence, and stealth… and Sideways had plenty of them.

Unfortunately for him, he was not entirely undetected.

"There's another one!" Epps shouted.

_Oh, slag!_ The silver and black Audi R8 cursed as it took off from its hiding spot between construction equipment, nearly running over several soldiers in its attempt to flee.

Sideways smirked to himself as he made it out of the construction site in one piece, but soon growled, after he rounded a corner, and was forced to slam on his brakes. A yellow Lamborghini Gallardo was sitting in the middle of the road, engine revving eagerly.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? A Decepticon with a paint job shiner than mine?" Sunstreaker chuckled. "Hey, punk? Want a head start?"

"Slag off, Auto-dork!" Sideways spat, tires screeching loudly as he took off in reverse.

The Lambo charged the Audi, but was forced to slow down to avoid blasts (and a damaged paint job) from his now transformed opponent.

The Autobot lost ground, groaning as the three components of Arcee sped past him. Soon after, Sunstreaker heard a noise that was slowly starting to get on his circuits. The creepy melody of the rusty ice cream truck filled his audios, as said vehicle appeared slowly behind him.

"Hey, pal?" Skids started.

"Need a servo?" Mudflap finished.

"No," Sunstreaker spat, though a bit less indignant than he really felt. "You need to look where you're going."

That said, the agile, fast and sleek sports car rounded a corner without losing a beat, but the twins' slow, ungainly choice of alternate mode left them unable to keep up with their comrade. When they rounded the same corner too sharply, they split apart from one another, crushing on the building in front of them.

Few kilometres ahead of the cussing twins, Arcee was fighting the retiring Sideways, covering him in firepower, as she surrounded him with her three components.

Unfortunately, Sideways jumped through a building, forcing Arcee to stop her chase as well. Sideways didn't get far, though. He hadn't noticed the silver Lamborghini waiting for him.

As Sideways managed to reconvert in his alt-mode, the silver Autobot easily caught up with him. Sideswipe transformed, unsheathing a pair of razor-sharp blades, and somersaulted over the fleeting Decepticon, throwing his right blade in Sideways's hood, and then dragging the blade in the opposite direction, slicing him lengthwise in half.

Sideswipe looked down at the Decepticon, giving Sunstreaker and Arcee time to catch up with him.

"Damn, I'm good!" he complimented himself, as his blade retracted to its hiding place in his forearm.

"Aw, stop gloating!" his brother glared daggers at him.

"What's the matter? Are you slowing down in your old age?" Sideswipe smirked smugly.

"I'm only two breems older than you." Sunstreaker narrowed his optics, folding his arms across his chest.

"Stop bickering you two!" the pink Arcee scowled them, and they both pointed one finger to each other in a very child-like manner, pouting with a "He started!", to which Arcee just sighed. Two sets of twins were just too much.

**Arcee to Lennox,** the purple one radioed their human commander, pressing a small button on the side of her helm. **Sideways has been dealt with. What's your status?**

**Not good,** Lennox informed her. **We're gonna need the big guy for this one!** he said, as he watched Demolishor's oversized tire crushing dozens of cars that sped down the highway.

"Optimus at three o'clock!" Ironhide informed Lennox as he tailed the Decepticon. The Major smirked as he spotted a C-17 Globemaster III overhead.

The rear hatch of the airplane opened, and Optimus Prime himself parachuted out of the NEST cargo plane. He landed in vehicle mode, and maneuvered around debris and traffic with precision, driving to intercept the still fleeting Decepticon.

"Pull over!" Optimus demanded, as he leaped from an overpass onto Demolishor's head.

The mountainous Decepticon declined Optimus' order, and an enormous explosion swallowed both aliens, as Demolishor destroyed the bridge.

Lennox's eyes widened at the sight, and he let out the breath he didn't know he was holding when the two battling robots emerged from the smoke, debris and flames their fighting sent flying all around them.

Still not complying Optimus' demand, the crimson and sapphire leader fired his Ion blaster into the Decepticon's head, jumping off of him, as the titan crashed into a warehouse district.

The crippled Demolishor laid helpless as Optimus Prime and Ironhide advanced. His enormous rubber wheels bore numerous gouges, and his armour was torn beyond repair. The weapon specialist transformed after letting Will out, and approached the severed Decepticon along with his commander and few NEST soldiers.

"Punk-ass Decepticon." The black Autobot muttered.

"Any last words?" Optimus asked, aiming his cannon to the enemy's head.

True to his Decepticon nature, and in defiance, Demolishor started to chuckle, as Energon oozed from several holes in his broken armour. "This is not your planet to rule." He smirked at their expressions, and his optics shone with glee as he delivered the most important message Sideways gave him. "The Fallen shall rise again." The Constructicon declared with his dying 'breath', and the Decepticon's body went slack amidst the rubble.

Silence fell after that last statement. Ironhide looked up at his leader, waving Lennox and his men forward. From the look on the flaming truck's face, a serious conversation needed to be held by the higher-ranked officers, when they returned to the base.

* * *

*Diego Garcia, Autobot base*

Ratchet turned his head from a console when the rest of the team returned from their mission in Shanghai. He had to stay behind and assist a still recovering Jolt, whose impulsiveness almost cost his life during the last mission. The CMO swore that if trouble didn't find the young prankster, he would be pretty able to find it.

Ratchet shrugged off those thoughts, and gave a little smile, seeing that none of the Shanghai team was in need of immediate medical assistance.

"Welcome back," he greeted, "If you're not too tired, there's someone who would like to say hi." He smiled uncharacteristically, moving so that they could see on the screen the image of a young woman laughing with Jolt.

The blue Autobot moved so she could see the look of surprise on the returned Autobots. Looking over, humans and robots smiled at the young Kim Witwicky. Lennox and Epps hadn't seen her in months, since the last Autobot arrival. The young woman had been present at every, new, (friendly) landing to lend a hand at the newcomers, and help them settle down. She was even responsible of covering up the mess some of them made while landing, or battling the Decepticons.

"Hey, girl!" Epps greeted, smiling.

"It's good to see you again, Kim!" Will echoed.

"Hi, guys!" Kim waved from the screen, smiling amiably at them.

Her straight, brown hair had grown, and was now reaching past her shoulders, but she held it back with a green band. She wore a white sundress with a wide ribbon of pale green running under her bust.

"Hey there, girlie!" Sideswipe was the first Autobot to greet her, smirking back at the screen. "Heard 'bout our latest success?"

Kim's face became serious, almost sarcastical. Not a good sign. "Y'know, when I answered the phone, I thought it was a drug-addicted, or something. Then I realized that it was our new director…"

Lennox sighed. "So, how is he?"

Kim groaned. "He'd be pretty able to make Gandhi empty his gun on him!"

Epps gave a little chuckle, along with the others. "What did he want?"

"Oh, the usual." Kim waved a hand. "He wanted me to tell you that he'll come to meet you, and Optimus." She shook her head. "Word of advice: you have to do a better job of cleaning up your messes."

"Oh, I get it." Sunstreaker replied, crossing his arms. "You still don't approve the Seattle mission. It wasn't my fault if the Decepti-creep wouldn't hold still!" He pouted.

"And did that authorize you to slice almost every Autobot come there to help you?" she raised an eyebrow. "Including your twin?" Sideswipe snorted at that.

Sunstreaker threw his hands up in frustration. "There you go again. You'll never let this down, do you?" he glared at both of them. "I told you Bombshell was controlling my processor!" he defended himself.

"And that damn bug was sooo hard to root out from your processor!" Kim sighed, remembering when they detected a Decepticon signal in Seattle.

NEST was deployed, and decided to split to cover a larger area. Soon the Insecticon Bombshell made himself known, attacking Sunstreaker, and forcing him to go on a rampage against his comrades. Only his red twin was able to stop him, being severely damaged by the yellow warrior.

"Ugh! Don't remind me," Sideswipe shivered. "And I have to thank the Hatchet for this new look." He glared at the CMO, who gave him a little smirk.

"Oh, shut up! You like it." He snorted to the silver Autobot. Ratchet would never admit it out loud, but Sideswipe's damaged body had given him a chance of revenge from the prank the twins pulled on him when they arrived.

"I know," Sideswipe said nonchalantly. He indeed adored the new blades, but he still had quite an issue with his new paint job. "Why in the world did you have to paint me silver?!"

Ratchet narrowed his optics. "Be thankful I didn't paint you pink!" Sideswipe gulped.

"At least your alt-mode is agile, unlike someone else's…" Kim stated, drawing the attention back to her, as she typed few codes on the computer she had on her lap, and a screen with the battle in Shanghai popped up.

"Hey, that's us!" Skids exclaimed when the part where they fell out of the chase played on the screen.

"Oh, yeah. That's really you." Kim's voice held a tone of scowl.

"I think the Goddess of Cyberspace is mad at us," Mudflap whispered to his brother, using the nickname they gave her when they first acknowledged what she could do with a computer. She liked it so much she used it as her username!

"Well," Kim started, pausing to choose the right words to continue. "Y'know, it's nice that you don't want to be separated, seeing that you're twins and all – unlike Sam and me." She muttered the last part under her breath. "Anyway, maybe in battle this could work _against_ you." She said, replaying the moment both twins were split apart, and making them flinch at the memory. "So we decided to give you new, _individual_, alternate forms to make sure another _'incident'_ like this never happen again." She pointed to their left, and the twins' optics fell on the two new cars sitting there, almost waiting for them.

"It's upgrade time!" Skids exclaimed, as he approached the two shining vehicles, a green Chevy Beat and an orange Chevrolet Trax.

"Green is mine! I call green!" Mudflap stated, approaching the car, and doing a dance.

Skids tackled Mudflap, and a fight broke out between the two of them, as they wrestled over which vehicle they wanted, among a not amused audience of Autobots. In their brief match, they didn't notice that their bumper sticker had detached from them, and slapped itself on the webcam on Kim's screen. Skids eventually flipped Mudflap over his shoulder, stating that he got the green model.

"That hurt, man!" A struggling Mudflap commented as he tried to sit up.

"No slag!" His brother simply retorted as he transformed into the green Chevy.

After Mudflap was relegated to the form of the Chevrolet Trax, they heard Kim's voice reading the twins' bumper sticker. "Decepticons, suck my pop-" but before she could finish, a rather embarrassed Sunstreaker removed the sticker from the webcam. "Oookay… those two watched too much T.V." She commented, looking at the mech.

"Yeah," the yellow mech chuckled nervously.

"Although, that was… awesome… in a very vulgar way." She trailed off, hoping that one of the other Autobots would change the subject. Fortunately or unfortunately, the twins learned fast what was to know about the humans.

Luckily, Ironhide cleared his throat. "Did you have any luck with finding information about The Fallen?" he asked, knowing that Optimus had already asked the human hacker to seek any source she had.

"Well, I've searched every inch of the World Wide Web, but found absolutely nothing. Nada. Zero." Disappointment filled her voice.

"That's 'cause you searched the human net!" Sunstreaker said indignantly.

Kim glared at him, but then grinned. "Yeah, 'cause the human net can't have a powerful artefact just waiting for someone to buy it, can it?" she said, referring to The Glasses her sister sold on eBay.

Sunstreaker winced at that, and Jolt and Sideswipe snickered as she continued. "Anyway, looks like even Teletraan doesn't know who this Fallen is…"

"That could be a problem…" Jolt muttered.

"Yeah." she said sadly. "Tell the sleek and sexy flaming truck I'm sorry," she added, referring to Optimus.

"Huh, Kim…" Ratchet tried to cut her off, to prevent her from saying what she and her sister thought about Optimus the first time they saw him.

"Thank you for your help… And for the compliment, Kim." Optimus Prime himself came to the screen, walking among his Autobots.

Kim stared, wide-eyed, blushing madly at the red and blue Autobot leader. "Oops," she muttered, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Did you see him, Mudflap?" Skids asked his twin, starting to babble. "That-th-that's Optimus!! I could spring a leak, I'm so excited!" he exclaimed, before fainting, falling in the arms of his twin, and dragging them both to the ground.

The Autobots shook their heads at the goofy twins, and Kim just chuckled at their behaviour. "I guess you have another admirer beside my sister and I," she gave a small laugh.

"Hey, speaking of twins…" Sideswipe turned to the screen, and let the sentence hang in the air.

Kim groaned, blowing the hair of her fringe aside. "Don't make me start. Sam is in 'Sunny-mode' right now, so…"

The other Autobots, aside for the yellow and silver twins, stared at her perplexed.

"'Sunny-mode'?" Jolt asked, raising an optic ridge.

"Oh, Sides and I dubbed the mood when Sam's so asocial 'Sunny-mode'." Kim explained.

"A tribute to a very special Autobot…" Sideswipe grinned, wrapping his arm around his twin's shoulders.

"Knock it off you two." Sunstreaker growled.

"I'm so sorry that she doesn't like to hang with us," the blue Arcee said.

"Oh, it's not that she doesn't _like_ to hang with you," Kim corrected her. "It's just that… she's trying to have a normal life again. Y'know, one that doesn't involve giant robots from outer space. But she still likes you all!" she paused briefly. "And now that I think about it, I'd better tell her I'm gonna see her before she leaves for Princeton. I'll tell her you said hi, and I'll keep searching things about The Fallen!" she waved.

Optimus nodded. "Thank you again, Kim." He said, and the girl disappeared from the screen after she bid them goodbye.

Optimus stared at the black screen for a moment longer. He knew what Sam wanted. It was the same thing everyone of them longed. To be normal, to be free, to be safe. But eons of war showed him how that can be just a dream, fragile as glass… and as glass it will shatter.

As a Prime and a leader, Optimus only hoped that Sam could enjoy this short period of 'normality'. Because he knew it wouldn't last long.

* * *

So here's chapter 1. Tell me what you think!

Ps. For the prank the twins pulled on Hatchet read my fic 'Twins'. I thought about a way to explain Sideswipe's look in the movie (even though he still is a Lamborghini, 'cuz Italian cars rock!!), and came up with Sunstreaker slicing him under Bombshell's control. I hope you like it…

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	2. Chapter 2: Parting gift

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reviewing the first chapter!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!! Now's time to see what's up with Sam!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… enjoy! ;)

* * *

**2- Parting gift**

*Tranquillity, California*

The Witwicky house was in a mess. Everyone was rushing in a frenzy to make sure everything was spick-and-span for Sam, who decided to attempt college. None of the Witwickys ever went to college, so her parents were running like headless chickens throughout the house, saying how they were proud of their little girl, who would go to Princeton University, or just crying in front of her.

Sam levered the last suitcase into the back of her parents' car. Ron Witwicky emerged from the house, carrying a bag of his own. Sam knew her parents would take the opportunity to visit New York City, then maybe go on a vacation in Europe.

"Sam?" her father asked, after loading the bag. "There's something we need to discuss. Man-to-woman."

Sam sighed, as she followed her father into the living room. She partially knew what this was all about.

"Sam," Ron started, turning to face his daughter. "There's something I need to tell you about college…"

"Oh, I get it. It's all about the astrophysics degree." Sam started, knowing that her father was a bit worried about her choice. "Don't worry, Dad. Thanks to the Autobots, there're a lot more jobs for those who've got astrophysics degrees. I don't think finding a job would be so difficult."

Ron nodded in agreement, but made Sam know that that wasn't what he needed to tell her.

"What is it?" she asked.

Ron sighed. "In college, you're going to meet a lot of boys…"

"Oh, please, Dad." Sam groaned. "I know that. And I can take care of myself, thank you very much." She narrowed her eyes, then added, raising her finger to emphasize her speech. "And don't talk Ironhide into this!"

"What makes you think that I talked to him about this?" her father asked, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Sam's face clouded over, and she gave Ron a 'you gotta be kidding' look. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe the fact that Ironhide ordered me to tell him if one of the boys at college tries to make a move on me, so that he can 'take care of him'?" Sam deadpanned, remembering when she had the same conversation with Ironhide. The only difference was that, to get his point across, Ironhide readied his cannons as if he had to fire at anyone.

Sam shook slowly her head at the recollection. "How am I supposed to even _meet_ a guy, with Ironhide threatening to terminate him?!" she whined.

"Aw, Sam, he just cares about you." Her father said. "Just like me…"

"Yeah, just like you…" she smirked. _Only, he has two bad-ass looking cannons!_ She added in her mind.

Ron sighed, returning serious. "Sam, I know you fought an alien race, but, sometimes, guys are worse than them."

"Dad!" she tried to keep her composure, and to prove her father she could take care of herself. "Like I told you, I can take care of myself, and I don't need any other advise. I know!"

"Okay, girl." Ron sighed. "Just be careful…" Sam nodded.

Ron and Sam were still talking, when Judy Witwicky climbed down the stairs to the living room.

"Sam!" she exclaimed as if she hadn't see her daughter for a year. "Look what I just found!" She held up a pair of toddler's sneakers, almost on the verge of tears. "Look at your little baby booties!" she cried, voice almost cracked by her hiccups.

"Aw, Judy!" Ron sighed exasperated.

"Mom," she said, stepping closer to her crying mother. "Mom, it's okay. You're going with me to Princeton, remember? And then you're going to Paris with Dad, and then if you want, you can come see me in Princeton again before you come back home."

Judy grabbed hold of her daughter, and hugged her tightly… too tight for comfort. "Okay," Judy said, though not at all convinced, as she let go of Sam.

"Judy, stop. Just let her go." Her father said, hugging his wife in a desperate attempt to make her calm down, but only making her cry harder.

Sam was torn between the urge to laugh her head out at her parents, or just bang it against the nearest wall. Both sounded good, but she didn't have much time left to laugh, and she didn't want students from Princeton to see her with a rather large lump on her forehead.

Luckily, Kim chose that moment to call, and she snatched her cell phone eagerly.

"Hey, Goddess of Cyberspace!" she greeted with a smirk, using the nickname the twins gave her.

**Hey, college-girl! How ya doin'? Already drown****ed in mom's tears?** Kim answered from the other end.

"Not yet." Sam groaned, letting her sister know that she wasn't going to make it much longer. "She found my first shoes!"

_**Ouch! **_Kim commented.

"Yeah, and the funny part is that those are your shoes!!" Sam said, sounding both exasperated and amused. Kim chuckled at that. "Do you think that even for other families is so hard pushing their daughter out of the nest?" Sam asked, climbing the stairs to reach her sister's room, seeing if she had forgotten something in there. "On second thought, why do I ask you? You returned to the _NEST_!" Sam joked.

**Funny,** Kim rolled her eyes. **Speaking of which, how's the other problem going?**she asked.

"What other problem?" Sam asked absently, as she entered her sister's bedroom. It was exactly as she had left it. The bed, the large closet, and, hanging alone on the wall near it, one of their 'saving the world' mementos: the pinkish shirt Kim was wearing that fateful day two years before.

**Oh, you know him. 17' tall, yellow, black stripes, and two lovable antennas on his head… **Kim continued.

"Oh, Bumblebee is… fine." Sam replied.

A groan left Kim's lips. **You still haven't talked to him, have you?**

_Why is she always able to read me like an open book?!_ Sam thought, "How do you know?" she sighed.

Kim smirked. **I have to cover up the Autobots' messes everyday. Do you think I can't tell if you're trying to fool me? I know you too well, Sam.**

Sam sighed again. "Ok, but, hey! He's an alien. He'll survive without me." She said, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder, as she pulled Kim's shirt off the hanger.

**He's not just that! **Kim replied, sounding almost hurt. **He's your friend, and part of the family!**

"Oh, Kim, please. Not again the family thing!" Sam groaned. She didn't like too much the fact that her sister considered the Autobots a family. Yes, they helped each other out, but, to Sam, they were just friends, good ones, but just friends. And sometimes she thought about them as the alien race she had to sacrifice for.

**Ok, Jazz and I will be there shortly… **Kim changed the subject.

"Hey, are you talking to the phone while driving?" Sam enquired.

**I'm not the one driving!** Kim replied, and Sam could feel her smirk. Although her sister finally took the licence, she preferred being carried by the Autobots.

"I still don't get why you took the licence, since you're not the one driv-" she stopped in mid-sentence, as something small fell from the shirt she was holding.

**Sam?** Kim asked.

"I'm still here." She said as she crouched down, and picked up what looked like a small piece of the All Spark. "Hey, I found a fragment of what we cannot talk about at the phone."

**Another?** Kim asked. She was aware of the last fragment of the All Spark that the Autobots hid in their base in Diego Garcia.

A short pause was heard at the other end, along with a deep voice talking with her sister. **Sam, whatever you do, don't touch that thing! We're coming!** her sister hurried to say, but it was too late.

Sam held the shard between her thumb and finger, examining it curiously. When she touched it though, the fragment somehow activated, sending a small lighting that flashed strange symbols before Sam's eyes; she then felt an electric shock, and automatically dropped the shard. The fragment burnt a hole through Kim's bedroom floor, and fell into the kitchen, which was right below the room.

"Oh, man! Kim's gonna kill me!" Sam muttered, as she watched through the All Spark fragment-shaped hole that just opened itself on the floor.

**Sa-** Kim started, but she felt a jolt rolling on her cell phone, and dropped it on the floor of Jazz's alt-mode.

"Kim, are ya ok?" Jazz asked worried.

"Yeah," she looked a bit dazed. Then she fumbled fervently around on the floor of the car to retrieve her cell phone. "Sam?" she called as she picked it up.

**Yes?** Sam squeaked.

Kim's eyes rolled, and she sighed when she heard her sister's tone. "Please, tell me you didn't do what I think you did." She groaned.

**No! Why?** She could hear an alarmed tone in her voice, along with her foot that seemed constantly impacting with the floor. **Can you please hurry up?** Sam pleaded.

"Hang on, we're coming." Kim said, then hung up the phone, as Jazz increased his speed to reach the Witwicky residence as fast as possible.

* * *

"DAD!!" Sam tore the door of Kim's bedroom open, desperately searching for the extinguisher. "DAAAD!!! CALL THE FIREMEN!!!!"

Too focused on the fire, that was starting in Kim's room, Sam didn't notice that the All Spark fragment had sent out a pulse, that brought almost all the kitchen devices to life.

After opening their red optics to the world – the Witwicky's kitchen – the appliances thought it would be a good idea to cause havoc and mayhem… starting with Sam's house.

Sam sighed in relief, after she doused the flames in her sister's room. If she'd burnt it, her sister would have certainly killed her. The curly-haired girl took a deep breath, as she opened the door to put back the extinguisher… only to gasp as she saw through widened eyes the very same devices she used to cook staring at her with omicidal looks on their crimson optics.

"AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" Sam screamed, and closed the door shut behind her back.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to stop the kitchen robots. Not even a split second later, several bullets whistled in Sam's ears, as they were shot through the wood door. Sam backed away from the door, as the small robots tore it open, and continued to fire at her.

Sam screamed again, shaking off some of the robots who jumped on her back, as she made a beeline for her sister's bedroom window. Successfully escaping through it, Sam climbed down the roof, landing on her feet, and then rolling under the force of her own momentum. In the blink of an eye she stood, and ran to hide behind the fountain, where she met her frightened father.

"What is that?" Ron demanded, covering his head as pieces of the fountain fell on both of them, sent flying by the small robots' shots.

"It's the kitchen's revenge!" Sam shouted back, peering to see that their whole home was under siege.

"Ron! Sam! OW!" Judy screamed, running out of the house, only to bang her head on one of the plants she had hung in the patio.

"BUMBLLEEEBEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Sam shrieked at the top of her lungs.

When he heard the girl scream out his name, Bumblebee drove through the door of the garage he was hiding in, transformed, and started blasting away at the All Spark mutations. After few good shots, the kitchen robots were destroyed… along with parts of the Witwicky's house.

Sam poked cautiously her head to see her guardian standing in the garden, looking guiltily at several debris and pieces of the house falling to the ground.

"Judy?!" Ron called once he thought it was safe to come out from their hiding place.

Judy Witwicky raised slowly to her feet, one hand holding her aching head. Her husband helped her up, and she glared at Bumblebee, starting to mumble something incoherence, and definitely not kind, horrified that he blew up much of their house. The yellow guardian shrugged her rants off, but went back into the garage, once Sam ordered him to do so.

Sam feared that their whole house going on a rampage would have attracted too much attention…

* * *

A silver Pontiac Solstice parked alongside the driveway, and a brunette girl in her early twenties got out of it, her white sundress moved softly in the wind.

Kim made her way gingerly among firefighters and local police that were taking care of what remained of her house. As she stepped further in the garden, she was met by Sam, who was nodding with an exasperated look at their ranting mother.

"I cannot have a psychotic alien in my garage!" Judy ranted, holding a pack of ice to her head. "Hi, Kim!" she greeted smiling, then pointed a finger at Kim with a menacing scowl on her face. "Teach that alien to behave!" she ordered, as Sam patronized her.

Kim blinked at her, then raised an eyebrow when their father tried to calm their mother down by talking about putting a Jacuzzi in the garden in place of a swimming pool.

"Uh, what did I miss?" Kim asked Sam when they were left alone on the lawn.

"Everything," Sam muttered, handing the All Spark shard to Kim, who promptly placed it in a small, transparent box, hiding it in her bag. Then the twins went inside the garage, as the Sam told her sister what happened before her arrival.

"The whole kitchen?" Kim asked dumbfounded, and Sam nodded, closing the door.

"Hey, 'Bee!" Kim smiled, and the yellow Autobot used one hand to hug her, as she did her best to hug his leg. "Aww, I'm so happy to see you!" she smiled.

Working for the Government in Los Angeles didn't leave her much time to come see her family. Her parents moved again in their old house, as Sam left her job as a waitress to start college. Something she wanted to do, but didn't once she was graduated.

Bumblebee emitted few cheerful sounds from his vocal processors to welcome the hacker.

"Still having voice problems?" Kim cooed, gently caressing the Autobot's neck, and feeling his engine purring in delight.

"He's just playing it off." Sam snorted. "He likes you to rub his neck."

Kim rolled her eyes at her sister's comment, though she had to admit that Bumblebee did is demanding for attention. And she was pretty sure why.

"Um, so… did you two talk about the college thing?" Kim could feel Sam's eyes glaring daggers at her back.

_-__I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it…-_ Bumblebee's radio played, as he danced to the music.

"I guess not…" Kim muttered, watching amused the dancing robot.

"Bee, you can't come with me!" Sam delivered the bombshell, and Kim could see how hard it hit her sister's guardian.

_Might as well rip his spark out_ _his chassis!_ Kim thought, looking sadly at the downcast Bumblebee, as he emitted few static noises that sounded like a strangled and incredulous 'what?'. "I'm gonna wait outside…" Kim wisely stated, before going outside, and retrieving something from Jazz's seat.

Back inside the garage, Sam was trying to explain to Bumblebee that he had to stay behind, since she wasn't allowed to have a car at college.

"C'mon, Bumblebee. You know the rules." She tried. "It's best for both of us. Anyway, you're an Autobot: you shouldn't be living in our garage! Look, you're suffocating in here." She motioned to the little space the yellow mech had.

Bumblebee really didn't care where he was forced to live, as long as he could be near Sam. He adverted his blue optics from the human girl.

"Hey, come on big guy… look at me, please?" Sam said softly, gently cupping Bee's chin with her whole hand so that the Autobot would look at her. She knew what she had to say would probably hurt his feelings, but she had to, in order to get her normality back. "Look, the guardian thing is done, okay? You did your job. It's over with. You've got to have a bigger purpose then just me, 'Bee!" Sam continued, her words hurting both of them.

The robot looked straight in her chocolate eyes, while playing few film quotes, all of which were used to form a sentence. _-What is… your… purpose… Sam?-_

"I wanna…" she hesitated, not sure of how to continue, and how to explain what she truly wanted. "I want to be normal. I want to go to college. I want to do what everybody else does. And I can't do that with you."

Heartbroken by her last statement, Bumblebee burst into tears… literally, using his windscreen cleaners.

_-I'll do anything you want… I'll do anything so long as you don't go.-_ Bumblebee's radio pleaded in one last attempt to avoid separation from the girl he cared the most in his life.

"Come on, don't do that… it's not the last time I'm gonna see you, you know?" Sam tried to calm the hurt Autobot, but to no avail. "Oh, stop crying, 'Bee!" she pleaded, but Bumblebee angrily gesticulated to her to go away, refusing to listen anymore.

Sam sighed, understanding perfectly her guardian's desire to be left alone. "You'll always be my best friend, 'Bee. I love you." She whispered, leaving the garage.

Upon exiting, Sam noticed that the firemen had left, and so did the police, guessing they thought their house was relatively safe. She was greeted by her sister's arms, outstretched in front of her, holding a small red-wrapped box with a white ribbon on it.

"_And I said hey, this is what_ sisters _are for_." Kim sang – or at least she tried to – the last verse of the same song Bumblebee had played.

Sam's eyes narrowed slightly. "What exactly is this?"

Kim grinned. "A small gift for my baby sis, who's gonna go to college!"

"I'm only two minutes younger than you," Sam rolled her eyes.

"Well, aren't you going to open it?" she ignored her sister's comment.

"If you assure me that this thing won't explode…" Sam joked, enjoying Kim's clouded face, as she proceeded to rip the covering and the top off the box. Inside there was a red laptop with a small webcam beside it.

Sam simply blinked.

"I wanted to insert a chip under your skin so that we could communicate just like the Autobots, but Ratchet didn't let me…" Kim sighed a bit disappointed, and Sam gulped mentally. "So I got you a laptop and a webcam, so we can communicate 24/7!" Kim happily stated.

"Sounds cute, I can't wait…" Sam commented, not as happily as she wanted to sound. She was still shaken from her conversation with Bumblebee.

"Don't be so cheerful…" Kim deadpanned.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit sad…"

Kim nodded. "Poor Bee. Did you have to be that rude?"

"Kim, please…" Sam warned her. She didn't need her sister's rebuke right now.

"Aww, c'mon. Ya know ya like the yellow guy!" Kim winked, enjoying her sister's shocked and embarrassed face.

"KIM!!" Sam hissed.

Kim chuckled, continuing with a predatory tone in her speech. "Or maybe you like 'em bad, and damned?" she smirked, raising an eyebrow. "Y'know, like Barricade?"

Sam groaned, wanting to just pick her sister up by the neck and throw her into the wall, but she resisted the temptation. "You'll never let this down, do you?" she sighed.

"What kind of sister would I be?" she smirked.

Sam smirked, suddenly remembering something. "Then what about you and Jazz?" A strange glee shone in Sam's narrowed eyes as she added, "And Ratchet?"

"First off, Jazz asks me a bunch of questions about all the different Earth cultures, and teaches me anything about the Transformers in turn. How can't I adore the guy? We are good friends. Good friends, who flirt a lot!" Sam rolled her eyes at that comment. "And second, it was _you_ who imagined Ratchet and I doing naughty stuff." Kim narrowed her eyes, remembering the whole Med Bay misunderstanding conversation.

Sam scoffed, and waved a hand. "Alright, my bad."

Kim grinned victoriously, then a kind smile spread across her face. "Hey, why don't you turn your laptop on?" she suggested, changing the subject completely.

When Sam did so, she was greeted by an image she thought forgotten in some box. Kim used one of their old photo as a screensaver.

It showed Kim and Sam, not older than four, sitting on the lawn, smiling happily at their dad, who was taking the picture. They were sitting on the grass, hand in hand, grinning like cats who'd just ate the canary.

A soft smile crossed Sam's face.

"That's my favourite photo…" Kim smirked. "It's when we promised we would always be together."

"Yeah," Sam said absently. "Well," she shook slightly her head. "We were too young to know what would have happened…" she said, and started to put her laptop away.

"Wait, there's-" but her father's timing cut Kim off.

"Sam, it's time!" Ron called, loading the last boxes on the car, while talking with Judy about going to France.

Kim sighed, looking at Sam sideways. She couldn't believe that her sister was going away. "Well, I think that's it, then." She said.

Sam turned to fully stare at her. "I'll call you when I get there. And please talk with 'Bee." She said as she hugged her sister tight. "And don't traumatize the Autobots too much!"

Kim rolled her eyes, but hugged her sister back. "I'll be staying here for awhile. And don't worry: I'll take care of 'Bee."

They parted when they heard their mother's weeping.

"Aww, Judy!" Ron whined.

Both girls laughed, and Sam jogged to the car, after waving toward Jazz and biding him goodbye. Kim watched as they left, then she neared the silver car to whisper in Jazz's audios to go see if 'Bee was okay.

Then she turned on her heels to enter her house, but froze, and looked around. She swore she saw a glimpse of black and white with the corner of her eye. The same black and white paintjob adorning an old 'friend' of them. Looking around, she didn't see any police cruiser. _Must be my imagination… we talked about him. But he's gone, right?_ Those questions crossed her mind, as she turned and entered her house, realising that she had two Autobots there to protect her.

Unbeknownst to her, a small remote-controlled pick up toy observed the brunette re-entering her battered house, sending an important transmission about the surviving shard of the All Spark to another Decepticon orbiting above Earth.

* * *

*NEST Base, Diego Garcia*

"I know what you're thinkin'…" Epps whispered from behind Theodore Galloway, as he witnessed Optimus's transformation for the first time. "If God created us in his image, who created him?" both men gawked at the large semi, as every piece unfolded itself to form the Autobot's real, towering mode.

After talking with Kim, NEST was visited by National Security Adviser Theodore Galloway… the new Simmons, only much, much worse.

The other Autobots rested in their alternate mode in the hangar, while Optimus, William Lennox, and their new director held a video conference with General Morshower.

"Good evening, General Morshower," the great robot said, while Lennox saluted.

"Good evening, Optimus," the senior human officer said, returning Lennox's salute. "Heard you all took care of business in Shanghai."

The Autobot commander nodded. "Two more Decepticons destroyed," he rumbled. "That brings us to a total of seven."

"The incidents have increased in the last few months," the Chairman said. "Do you have any idea why?"

"One of the two Decepticons said that The Fallen would rise again." Optimus replied.

"Do you know who this Fallen is?" Morshower asked.

"Unfortunately, no." Optimus sighed. "Miss Witwicky said she searched the Internet, as well as our database, but to no avail."

"Oh, please." Galloway interrupted him, causing all eyes/optics to focus on him. "Asking a little girl such things," he commented.

Morshower watched the man, who had just spoke, in annoyance. "You must be Galloway," that wasn't a question. The man merely nodded, fact that annoyed the Chairman even more.

"Kimberly Anne Witwicky is one of our most precious allies," Optimus stated calmly.

"She is a civilian-"

Morshower cut him off this time. "Who killed a giant warlord along with her sister." That shut the director up, at least for a second or two.

"Then I will inform her too about President Obama's horror at the destruction during the Shanghai mission." Galloway continued.

"Mr. Galloway, in Shanghai the Autobots helped saving half of the city-"

"After destroying the other half…" Galloway muttered under his breath, but purposely loud enough for them to hear.

"Hey!" Epps called, standing at Optimus' feet. "You weren't there, you can't talk of things you know nothing about! We've shed blood, sweat, and precious metal together." He said, rather angrily, as he patted Optimus' leg.

"Soldier," Galloway started, leaning on the railway to look down at the Sergeant, a look of superiority on his face. "You're paid to shoot, not talk."

"Don't tempt me." Epps muttered, walking away, before being completely unable to override his temptation.

The Chairman's face clouded over, and it looked like he was about to kill the director if they were in the same room. "Mr. Galloway, you do remember that the Autobots are our allies?" he didn't like Galloway's hostility.

"Then why didn't they share weapons technology? And why do they continue to send transmissions into space?" the director continued, as he climbed the catwalk they set up to speak with Optimus without him crouching down.

"All the transmissions were vetted by NEST officers." Morshower answered the second question.

Optimus Prime looked at the director square in the eyes, lowering his head a bit. "And we are well aware of humanity's less than stellar performance in regards to peace." He started, although the director cut him off, making no effort whatsoever to conceal his hostility towards the aliens.

"Nice words, considering that the Autobots and Decepticons had destroyed their own planet." Galloway pointed out.

"Then you should use better judgement than us," Optimus retorted, narrowing his optics.

"Plus much of their technology is still beyond our ability to replicate or even understand." Major Lennox cut in.

Chairman Morshower drew the attention again to himself. "With what humans and Transformers have been through, I don't think there's the need to reproach the Shanghai team for what happened there."

Galloway shook his head, turning to the screen. "With regards to national security, no one is above reproach. Especially after what happened." Galloway then went over the events after Mission City, charging each of them with a tone of accusation towards the Autobots. "After the two girls destroyed Megatron and the All Spark, we dropped him seven miles under water in the Laurentian Abyss. We even hid the remaining shard of the Cube in Diego Garcia." His tone grew as he neared the true reason why he was there. "We won, but the Decepticons didn't leave Earth as you had hoped. This leads me to conclude that they after you." Galloway pointed out. "They are hunting you!" he said accusingly to Optimus Prime. "If they're really after you, and if we ask you," Galloway's tone became firm and serious, "Will you leave Earth?"

Optimus Prime's faceplate came closer to Galloway's face, making him feel uneasy. "We will, but consider this;" he paused long enough to make the words sink in, but short enough not to let the human interrupt him. "What if we leave, and you're wrong?" he replied calmly.

Galloway was left speechless, as Optimus adverted his face from his.

"Good question." Major Lennox whispered, nodding to Optimus, as he enjoyed the look on the speechless director.

* * *

*Somewhere in Earth's orbit*

Long, dark grey, metal tentacles caressed the metallic flesh of the satellite they were plugging in with skilful, and calculated movements. Dark red optics glanced gleefully at the shining blue planet below, as the sleek appendages took control over the satellite.

That day, Soundwave had already received an interesting transmission from Wheeler, who was tailing one of the fleshlings responsible for his leader's demise. According to the annoying scrap drone, the human he was after had a surviving shard of the All Spark in her possession.

That was an interesting information indeed.

But what made Soundwave's day was the conversation between NEST and the United States military that the satellite he had taken control of was relaying.

The Decepticon tapped into it with his tentacles, and he eagerly overheard Theodore Galloway mentioning details about another shard of the All Spark, and Megatron's location.

Soundwave smirked at the fleshling's idiocy, as he once again glanced down at the world below him. Oh, poor humans, all of them bright and ready for their little daily races; all of them unaware of the evil planning his revenge just above their little heads.

Stationed high in the upper atmosphere, the Decepticon communication oficer would be able to formulate a plan for their counterstrike… and would be out of weapon range.

Their leader would rise soon…

* * *

I loved Epps's lines when he talked to Galloway!! Y'know, Agent Simmons was not _that _bad!

Hope you liked it!!!

Songs:

'I'm So Excited' by the Pointer Sisters

'Brothers' by Dean Brody

And next time Sam's gonna meet a lot of interesting people…

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	3. Chapter 3: Welcoming party

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… enjoy! ;)

* * *

**3- Welcoming party**

*Princeton University*

"Look at this place!" Judy spun on herself to look around the garden of the University after the three of them got out of their car. "I feel smarter already! Can you smell that?"

"Yeah, it's the smell of $40,000 a year…" her husband muttered sarcastically, causing Judy to punch his arm lightly, and Sam to laugh.

"I'll go take these things in the room," she said, taking some of her boxes. "I'm on the second floor, room 212."

Her parents nodded, as they took some other boxes, and watched Sam walk into the building, preparing to follow her suit.

The first thing Sam noticed, as the elevator's doors opened, was the very large number of boys and girls. And why was she so surprised? It was a coed dorm, after all. Sam shook those thoughts from her head as she made her way to her room.

As Sam approached her new room, she heard thumping coming from the room next to it. And, of course, she wasn't unaware of all the glances and stares she received from all the boys she passed.

"Hey, do you need any help?" a voice asked from behind her. She didn't notice that the room she'd just passed had its door opened.

Sam turned, and looked at the boy, who offered her help. He was a bit taller than her, although she was quite tall herself. He certainly was Hispanic, or something like that, judging by his tanned skin and features; he had dark, curly hair, and a large nose.

"Thanks," Sam smiled, and thanked him, who immediately took the boxes from Sam's hands.

"Where's your room?" he asked, his voice wavered a bit under the boxes' weight.

"Uh, 212." She answered simply.

"Oh, you're Hanna's roommate. What's your name?"

"Sam." She said, marvelling that he knew her roommate. "Uh, Samantha Witwicky." She added. "And you?"

"Leonardo Ponce de Léon, but you can call me Leo. Leo Spitz." He smiled charmingly from behind the boxes.

Sam rolled her eyes, thinking the boy needed some flirt-lessons from Jazz. She shrugged that off when they reached the room, which was next to Leo's. Sam opened the door, and let Leo put down the boxes, to the boy's relief.

When she looked around, Sam's eyes widened. There wasn't a single inch of the room's walls that wasn't covered in manga posters. Name one, and it was there.

"Oh, yeah. Hanna is our manga-geek." Leo informed her as he took a look at her expression.

"I've noticed…" Sam mumbled.

"You got more stuff downstairs?" Leo asked.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. But my parents are-" She was interrupted by her parents' voices as they approached the room.

"…it's even more than…" her father was saying as he entered the room, but then he stopped upon seeing his daughter with Leo. Her mother started giggling.

Sam tried her best not to blush and groan. "Mom, Dad, this is Leo." She introduced. "Leo, these are my parents."

Leo shook hands with both of them after they put down their boxes. The boy smiled at them, causing Judy to keep on giggling, and Ron to frown slightly.

"Um, so, do you have any more stuff? There's something I wish to show you." Leo asked Sam.

But before the girl could answer, her mother spoke up. "Oh, go ahead. We'll manage."

"We will?" Ron started, but was pushed out of the room by Judy, and dragged downstairs to retrieve Sam's last boxes.

Sam sighed, and turned to a smiling Leo. "Follow me." He said, and she complied. She followed him in his room. As Sam got a good look at Leo's room, her heart sank.

His room featured posters for Naruto, Cloverfield, Dragon Ball, Alien vs Predator, and Bad Boys 2.

She stopped on the doorframe, while Leo was already at the other side of the room. He turned to the girl, "Oh, don't be impressed by that." He waved for her to follow him.

Leo escorted Sam into a makeshift situation room, where two other boys were hard at work on their computers. "Be impressed by this!" he beamed, gesturing to the room.

"What's this?" Sam asked skeptically, suddenly having a bad feeling.

"These," he pointed to the two boys, "Are Fassbinder and Sharsky." They nodded briefly when they were called. "And Hanna is our friend too. She's not here, 'cause when she was skiing, she broke her arm. Anyway, the three of them help me run my website: The Real Effing Deal." He gesticulated to impress the girl.

Sam stared at him blankly. _You'll get along well with Kim_, she thought. "What's your website about?" she enquired.

The boy's smirk grew as if he was expecting her to pose that question. "From my website I tell the world about the giant robots, that the government doesn't want you to know about. Cool, isn't it?"

Sam's heart skip a bit. _Oh, no! I came here 'cause I was_ _tired of giant robots…! And why the hell is he so informed? Didn't Kim manage to cover up all the Autobots' messes!?_ Her mind screamed, demanding answers, as her eyes drifted back to the computer of one of the boys she'd already forgotten the name. On the screen was playing a video depicted what looked like a battle.

Leo followed Sam's gaze. "Oh yeah, the battle in Shanghai." Leo provided. "This is the coolest thing my source found."

"It's false." Sam dryly said.

"What?" Leo asked in disbelief.

"C'mon, how can you believe something found over the Internet?" she defended, hoping to make the boy desist to find the truth.

"How can you tell it's a fake?"

"It's probably advertising." Sam replied.

"For who? Nasa?" one of Leo's friends asked.

"Well, we all know the situation of GMC…" Sam trailed off.

"And you think they made all this mess just to sell more cars?" the other guy asked in disbelief.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Sam shrugged.

Leo was about to reply, but one of his buddies' shout stopped him. "What is it?" his eyes were quickly on the screen.

"We weren't quick 'nuff!" Sharsky muttered.

"Him again?" Leo asked. They nodded. "Damn you, Robo-Warrior!" he cursed, just like any emperor would do with their nemesis.

Sam raised an eyebrow. _Screw that, Kim will totally reprogram your pathetic excuse for a website… after she hung you up with the wires, that is._

Leo turned to stare at a not impressed Sam, feeling crestfallen, and slightly embarrassed from his outburst. "Uh, you see, Robo-Warrior is my eternal nemesis. He runs , and he often beat us uploading those files. But I swear one day I'll beat him!!" he declared, although Sam was still unimpressed.

"Anyway," he continued, "I also have Plan B…" he paused to create suspense, then headed to one of the shelves and retrieved something he hold for Sam to watch. "The kitten calendars!" he exclaimed.

Sam was trying her hardest not to burst out laughing in the poor boy's face. She merely nodded, smiling. "That's a great idea!" then she added in her mind, _For both our sakes, please, keep up the calendars and __**forget**__ about the aliens!!_

"Well, I gotta go see how my parents are doing," Sam said, and started to exit the room, but stopped when another boy entered.

Sam found herself entranced by the guy. The boy was tall, had blonde, almost white hair, piercing blue eyes, and a strong build. For a moment she thought she recognized him, but then she just dismissed the thought. However, a persistent feeling of familiarity filled her.

The boy however was not oblivious to the pretty brunette that exited the room. In fact, he locked his eyes on her for as long as he could. Exchanging back his azure glance gave Sam the brief conviction that he could really be interested in her. But then another disturbing thought crossed her mind: what if he's just pretending?

Sam shook her head as she walked back to her room, followed by Leo. _Get a grip, girl! You start to think like Kim!_ Her mind chided.

"Hey, who was that guy?" she asked Leo.

"Who Alan?" he raised an eyebrow, a bit disappointed that she asked that question. "He's just my roommate." And that answer confirmed Sam's suspicious about the fact that Leo was asked frequently about Alan by other girls.

She really felt sympathetic for the boy. After all, what he was trying to do was impressing some girls. She had to give him credit for his perseverance. He wasn't that bad once you could make him _**forget**_ about the aliens.

Leo politely bid her parents goodbye, as he left to reach his room again.

"Such a friendly boy," Judy told Sam, a bit of malice in her words.

"He's a little nutty." Sam commented, much to her father's relief.

Judy poked her head out of the room's door, and called after Leo, "Hey! Sam's single!"

"MOM!!" Sam screeched.

"JUDY!!" Ron echoed.

"What?" Judy retorted. "Oh, you have to find a boyfriend, since Kim's already with Jazz… or was it Sideswipe?"

Sam tilted her head. "Kim never told me about Sides."

"Ha! And you think helping the Autobots settle down is just answering some questions!?" Judy asked mischievously.

"Okay, I guess it's time for you to go!" Sam hurriedly said. "I don't need those mental images!!" she muttered, as her father dragged away her still talking mother.

* * *

_-__I always needed time on my own,  
I never thought I'd need you there when I cry.  
And the days feel like years when I'm alone…- _

Kim raised her head from her laptop, as she heard a radio playing outside. She exited her house, noticing that the silver sports car wasn't parked alongside the driveway anymore.

_-__When you walk away, I count the steps that you take  
Do you see how much I need you right now?- _

She followed the music, and ended up in the garage. When she entered, two robots were inside, looking a bit uncomfortable with the lack of space, but not too much.

_-__When you're gone  
The pieces of my heart are missing you…- _

Jazz was the first to acknowledge Kim's presence. "Hey, girl," he smiled.

Kim smiled back at her guardian, then turned to Bumblebee, who stopped the music when he saw her entering. He was sitting Indian style like Jazz, trying to fit in the small space they had.

"Hey, 'Bee. How are you?" she asked softly, tapping the yellow Autobot's leg.

He let out something resembling a sigh.

"You miss her." Kim stated, and Bumblebee nodded. "I miss her too." She said sympathetically.

Bumblebee's shoulders slumped in defeat. He glanced at Kim, and she raised an eyebrow. "What?" she enquired.

The yellow Autobot paused, not sure of how to explain his feelings.

"He's confused." Jazz provided, and Kim turned to the saboteur. "'bout his feelings. Right, Bee?" Jazz glanced at him, and Bumblebee gave him a meaningful glare, which the silver Autobot ignored, as he resumed his explanation. "He doesn't know why he still cares 'bout yer sis, after what she said."

"I can explain myself, thanks, Jazz." Bumblebee scoffed, using for once his real voice. It was still a bit hoarse, like he had a sore throat.

Kim smiled at the bots' behaviour. So similar to humans'. "The reason you still care about Sam is because you love her just as much as me," she explained, stifling a laugher.

"But why did she…" his voice failed in mid sentence, and he coughed a little.

_Maybe he wasn't just playing it off_, Kim thought. "Why was she so rude?" Bumblebee nodded, and Kim smiled kindly. "Because she knew she would have never let you go. You see, what she said, as absurd as it sounds, was not meant to hurt your feelings, but hers. She needed to burn the bridge that she knew would have kept her here forever." Kim felt sympathetic for Bumblebee's confused expression. "She wants to be normal, Bee. But I can assure you that she still loves you as much as you love her. Her rudeness proves it!" she winked.

"Humans are troublesome!" Bumblebee muttered, glancing at an equally marvelled Jazz.

"I know," Kim chuckled, "Especially mentally!"

"Thank you for being here, Kim." Bumblebee smiled.

"No problem," she smiled back. "Hey, why don't we call her together? I'm sure Sam will be glad to see you." She offered, popping open one of her many laptop, and starting to call Sam. Jazz slid closer to them so that he was inside the webcam's range, and awaited with the other two for Sam to answer.

But hours passed by, and still there was no connection.

Kim had fallen asleep, laptop still open, but still no connection. Jazz scooped her up, and placed the sleeping hacker on his tight, letting her lay halfway on his midsection. Bumblebee left few minutes after Kim fell asleep, and the SIC knew that it was by Optimus' order. He handed him Kim's PDA, since he didn't want to wake her up, and watched the Camaro leave. He just hoped Optimus' worries were unneeded.

* * *

The main reason why Sam didn't answer to her sister's call was because Leo invited her to a fraternity party. Sam accepted, though rather reluctantly.

"You're gonna like this party!" Leo assured her, as he made his way in the rather large room, that seemed filled with every student in the university.

"Look, I won't stay long." Sam replied.

"Yeah," Leo said absently as he started to dance.

He wasn't dancing with anyone, just like all the people inside that room. Girls danced with girls, guys danced with guys, and they all did whatever it took to get the attention of a partner.

In fact many boys had already tried to get her attention. The tall curly-haired brunette that was wearing a pair of long white pants, with a purple piece of cloth used as a belt, and a maroon tank top, made it clear to every boy who stared that she wasn't interested.

Sam sighed, and decided to go get something to drink, before calling it a night. She neared the table with the food, and her attention slid on the giant cake. She didn't know what it was, but the way the chocolate frosting was sprayed on the cake… it looked familiar. Oddly familiar.

All of a sudden, the patterns on the cake started to glow before her eyes, taking the shape of symbols that she had never seen before, but seemed like she had known all her life.

As if possessed by some strange demon, the girl became engrossed in writing the symbols she was seeing on the table, using the cake chocolate frosting.

Oddly enough, this caught Alan's eye.

"Those are quite interesting drawings, Sam." He whispered in her ear, coming up from behind.

Sam jumped upon seeing the boy. "W-what? Who?" she stammered, regaining part of the brain, that seemed to have left her. "Um, I mean, how do you know my name?"

"I know many things about you," he purred.

"Yeah?" Sam smiled nervously, and neared the other table to get a drink, trying to look as normal as she could. "W-why don't we s-sit, and c-chat?"

But that idea wasn't appealing to Alan. He preferred to take things straight. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him.

"Why don't you pretend I'm your boyfriend, and I pretend that you're my girlfriend?"

Sam gulped, letting go of the drink, and started to push him away. However, he ignored her resistance, strengthening his already forceful advances.

Sam was running out of ideas of how to get rid of the boy. Or was she? Now that she thought about it, she liked the boy. He was a bit too forward about what he wanted, but it made her feel good that someone so handsome (and _normal_) was interested in her.

A horn honked outside, interrupting Alan's attempt at seduction. Sam recognized the horn immediately. She even appeared grateful for Bumblebee's timely arrival.

"Uh, sorry… I think someone's calling me." Sam muttered, and Alan had no other choice but to let her go. He growled a little, but she didn't noticed.

Two boys were already on the doorframe to stare at the yellow Camaro sitting on the fraternity house's lawn. Sam sprinted past them so fast they didn't even register her presence, and she gripped Bumblebee's driver's door.

"What are you doing here?!" Sam angrily whispered.

_-__Houston, we got a problem.-_ Bumblebee's radio played, and Sam groaned.

"Hey, is that your car?!" a guy asked from behind Sam, as it seemed that all the room had lined on the doorframe to see.

"Uh, I… no, this is my boyfriend's." Sam hurriedly said, fumbling around for the door's handle. "I'd better go see him now." Bumblebee opened the door for Sam, seeing that she was too shocked, or too angry, to open it herself.

Sam sat in the driver's seat, and was reluctantly ready to go wherever Bumblebee needed to take her, but before he could take off, a hand gripped the passenger's side door.

"Nice car," Alan smirked charmingly. "Mind if I come for a ride?" he asked, and tried to open the door, but Bumblebee had already shut it as tight as he could.

"Sorry, the door sticks." Sam called out to him. "Bumblebee…" Sam warned/begged turning to the wheel, but to no avail. It wasn't really clear if she wanted him to let the guy in, or to drive away as fast as he could.

However, Bumblebee felt something wasn't right.

When he re-turned his attention to him, Bumblebee noticed that Alan took hold of the door, and readied himself to jump in through the opened window. One thing Alan underestimated was how protective the yellow car was. Bumblebee opened slightly the door when Alan was in mid-jump, causing him to hit his forehead on the roof.

"Oh my!" Sam cried covering her mouth, and helped him in. "Are you okay?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Alan said rubbing his head, and… was he shooting a glare at the dashboard? Sam shook that thought from her head. She truly was starting to see abnormal people everywhere.

That said, Bumblebee took off, not caring if Sam was even touching the car's controls. She gasped, and placed her hands back on the steering wheel, as Alan looked at her oddly.

Bumblebee felt the urge to drive over this boy, then flip it in reverse, and drive over him once more… just in case he survived. The yellow Autobot tried his best to monkey-wrench any attempt at conversation his unwanted passenger tried to have with Sam.

"What's wrong with your car?" Alan shouted, covering his ears, as the radio began to play different songs, blasting them so loud it was difficult for the two humans to hear one another.

"It's just the radio… it malfunctions sometimes!" Sam cried, never before feeling so embarrassed as she tried to shut the radio off. "Stop, STOP!!"

Bumblebee complied, but he still wasn't through with the boy.

When it seemed that calm had returned, Alan's seat bent forward, smashing his head against the dashboard.

Sam stared wide-eyed, and horrified. "Uh, I… sorry…" she stammered, as Alan glared at her.

The boy's stubbornness was really something, Bumblebee had to give him credit for that. But anyway, the yellow Autobot had one last trick up his metallic sleeve: he doused Alan in antifreeze.

"I got wetnaps…!" Sam continued to blab, after Alan was dripping with fluid, and demanded her to stop.

Seeing that his attempts paid him off, Bumblebee happily obliged, letting the boy out, and resisting the urge to just ejecting him. Why didn't he thought of that before?

Sam got out, and watched the boy she liked leaving in a huff. "Sorry!" she cried out after him.

"What. Is. Wrong. With. You?!" she angrily, and exasperatedly asked as she turned to face her car.

_-I wasn't jealous before we met, now every man I see is a potential threat…- _The radio played, and she gawked at him.

"You're kidding," she replied blankly. "Bumblebee, you're not my boyfriend!!" she snapped at him.

The radio switched again. _-We are family…-_

"Oh, no!" Sam pointed an accusatory finger to him. "Don't try to pull that on me! I'm not Kim!"

Something resembling a defeated and exasperated sigh escaped the car, as Bumblebee waved his still open door for Sam to climb in again. She angrily stomped toward him, and got in, closing the door rather loudly.

* * *

The shy rays of the sun started to crack the navy blue sky as dawn approached. Bumblebee slowly made his way on the path of the graveyard near Sam's college, where Optimus awaited her. He dropped her off to meet his leader.

"Hi, Sam." Optimus' massive form made his way through the tombs.

"Optimus? What is it?" Sam had calmed herself down after the little 'incidents' with Alan.

"I'm sorry to meet you in these circumstances, but I fear that we need your help again," Optimus started solemnly.

"What?" she groaned.

Optimus continued, although not too pleased to be the one who would shatter Sam's dream of normality. "We are having difficulties with NEST director, who believes that making us leave would draw away the Decepticons from Earth." He started.

"So?" Sam was growing impatient, and Optimus could tell.

"I believe you can be a worthy ambassador to convince the President otherwise."

Sam blurted. "Oh, no. You picked the wrong Witwicky. Kim's the one infatuated with your culture."

"Please, Sam, listen to him." Kim said, walking up to her.

"What are _you_ doing here?" she asked startled.

"What were _you_ doing? Did you forget that you had to tell me about the college?" Kim crossed her arms across her chest.

"I was busy…" Sam trailed off, looking away.

"Yeah, right," Kim muttered, and Sam turned abruptly, trying to punch her arm, but only succeeding in grasping air, and make her sister flicker.

"What the hell!?" Sam blurted.

Kim turned to her grinning. "Hologram." She simply replied, enjoying her sister's confused face. "I'm not technically here. This is just a projection. I'm still at home with Jazz. With his and Ratchet's help I programmed my PDA so that I can project my image where I'm needed. We're still working on it, though. As you can see, this thing's still not touchable." She explained, though her sister really didn't care.

Optimus cleared his throat, drawing their attentions to him again. "As I was about to say, I'm afraid your sister's help is not enough. I wouldn't have dispatched Bumblebee to retrieve you from college, if I believed that Kim's testimony on our behalf was enough."

"What are you expecting of me?!" Sam spat, looking between Optimus and Kim. "I've just started college, and I'm trying to have a normal life-"

"Sam, Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing." Optimus Prime insisted, but his demands fell on a not receptive girl.

"This isn't my war!" Sam reiterated.

"I fear it soon will be…" Optimus Prime replied solemnly.

"Sam, please!" Kim started.

"What? We've already gave everything to them, what do they want more?" she spat.

"They need our help!" Kim replied, almost in disbelief. She didn't know why her sister was so hostile. "They are our friends, our fam-"

"Don't even think about it!" Sam cut Kim off abruptly. "Helping the Autobots is your job, not mine." She said to Kim, then turned to Optimus. "Look, I'm sorry that you have so many problems, but I'm afraid you'll have to find another way." Sam said, as she started to leave. "After all, you're Optimus Prime, you don't need us."

Optimus Prime watched the retiring girl making her way to Bumblebee, climb in, and take off. Optimus' azure glance lowered on Kim, whose expression was shocked and bewildered. She slowly shook her head, than turned it up to stare at Optimus, sadness in her eyes, as her hologram disappeared.

The red and blue Autobot turned from the disappeared girl, and whispered quietly to himself, "We need you more than you know." Then he gazed up to the sky.

* * *

*Earth orbit*

Soundwave's red optics fixed on the glowing blue and green planet below him, focusing on the place where he ejected one of his minions, Ravage, with the order to steal the shard Optimus Prime had picked up after killing Megatron: the NEST base at Diego Garcia.

Shortly, while waiting for his leader to come back from the dead, he caught himself turning his vision at the stars beyond the planet. Only one purpose came to his processor as he watched the glowing diamonds of the sky: conquest.

It was what his leader wanted. Eons of slowly orbiting among the stars sprang in him the lone wish to conquer them, to expand the glorious Decepticon empire on every small world he could see.

A menacing roar broke Soundwave's trail of thoughts, as he turned to Earth once again, noticing that Ravage had been successful in stealing the shard, and therefore resurrecting their fallen leader.

Megatron flew angrily through Earth's atmosphere, snarling in disgust as he left the small, muddy world as fast as he could, promising to return soon to the blue planet. The Decepticon communication officer smirked in delight, as he observed his leader travelling to one of Saturn's moons.

The Autobots' worst enemy had just returned…

* * *

*gasp!* Megatron's back!! What's gonna happen now?!

Hope you liked it!!!

Next time Kim's gonna have a chat with Galloway! And Sam's gonna see strange symbols! And Megs and Screamer… well, what can I say? Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	4. Chapter 4: Back with a vengeance

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… enjoy! ;)

* * *

**4- Back with a vengeance**

**  
***One of Saturn's moon, crashed Nemesis*

"Starscream, I'm home." The Decepticon leader called, as he landed on the remains of the once glorious Decepticon ship, the Nemesis. His thrusters hissed when they touched the metal floor, sending an earth-shaking wave throughout the ship.

"Lord Megatron! I'm so tickled to see you. I was so relieved when I heard of your resurrection. You look great by the way." Starscream greeted, trying his best to hide the fact that he was unconcerned with reviving his leader.

_I'm not __tickled to hear your sucking up,_ Megatron thought as he glared at the Seeker.

Megatron didn't like Starscream's attempt to welcome him with open arms, and just pummelled his second-in-command, snarling at him. "You left me to die on that wretched, pathetic planet!"

"Only to help spawn our new army! The Fallen decrees it!" Starscream tried to defend himself, then smirked as he knew what he was going to say would hit a nerve. "After all, in your absence… _someone_ had to take command."

Growling at the acting commander, Megatron slammed Starscream against a wall, protoform sacks shook under the force of the impact. "So disappointing…" the tyrant's voice sneered, hissing lowly.

"Hatchlings… careful… fragile…" Starscream managed to choke out, desperately gasping for air, and praying his leader not to worsen the plight of the hatchlings.

His plea fell on deaf audio receptors, as Megatron ignored his whimpering, stating that even in death, the only command was his. He let go of his second-in-command, when he saw a small protoform falling from the sack containing it. Megatron growled and left, as Starscream slumped on the ground, grasping his throat with his claws, glaring both at his resurrected commander, and at the dead creature laying beside him.

Rounding a corner, Megatron came face to face with his old master, The Fallen, who had many life support cables attached to himself. He felt ashamed to return to his master empty-handed and defeated by two insignificant insects.

"My master, I have failed you on Earth." He bowed down, expecting The Fallen's wrath to be let loose on him, as he reported the destruction of the All Spark, and how their race was helpless without it.

"Oh, you have much to learn, my disciple." The raspy, breathy voice of the ancient Decepticon chuckled. "The Cube was merely a vessel. Its power, its knowledge can never be destroyed. It can only _transform_."

"How is that possible?" Megatron raised his head to look quizzically at him.

The Fallen smirked. "It has been absorbed by the humans. There is another source of Energon on that filthy planet, and the key to it lies within those children."

"Well, then, let me strip the very flesh from their bodies." Megatron begged, clenching one of his clawed hand in anticipation.

"You will, my apprentice." His master conceded. Then he revealed his own dream of revenge, and his desire to return to the wretched planet, where he was turned on by the Primes he once called brothers. "Only a Prime can defeat me, and now…" The Fallen locked his malicious optics on his apprentice's. "Only one remains."

"Optimus…" Megatron let the name roll off his lip components, savouring in advance the pleasure of destroying his enemy. "He protects the girls." He suddenly snapped his head, shrugging off those thoughts.

"Then the girls will lead us to him, and revenge will be ours." The Fallen declared, and Megatron smirked widely, eagerly agreeing with his master.

"The girls will not escape us! We have them in our sights!" Starscream assured, appearing with a dead protoform in his arms, and pointing out their immediate need of Energon.

Megatron took a moment to stare at the lifeless being that was unceremoniously thrown at his feet, then transformed, taking Starscream with him, both returning to Earth with a vengeance.

* * *

Sam timidly walked into her first astronomy class of the year. It was all so exciting that she could be here, in a college class, with other normal people around her. Sam took a look around, then spotted Leo waving at her. Smiling, but sighing internally, she headed to where her new friend was, and took a seat next to him.

She was ready for Professor Colan's lesson, with her book, her notebook, her sharpened pencils, and the thought that she was about to hear a true, normal, college lesson.

Well, normal… Sam had heard that Professor Colan's classes were always popular… especially with the ladies. And she had just realized why, glancing at the 'heavenly bodies' that had besieged the front row. Sam shook her head, clearing her mind from those thoughts, as Leo was talking with his other friends.

Just then, Professor Colan made his great entrance in the room, greeting his students (looking at the group of pretty girls sitting in the front of the class for a bit too long) and climbing up to the chalkboard to start his lesson.

* * *

Kim banged her head on the table in front of her. Galloway called her, and now she was having a video conference with the NEST.

The director was so caught up in his ranting on how Optimus had treated him, that he didn't notice the hacker practically ramming her head on the table.

Kim sighed. She was feeling a headache coming full force. Or was it Galloway? That man was annoying. He had tried for an hour or so to convince Kim to make the Autobots cooperate… or something like that. He had lost her after "Good morning, Miss Witwicky.".

Kim's head raised slightly to look at Galloway. She groaned internally. The guy was still talking! How the hell was that possible!? He talked non-stop for a freaking hour!

Just as he was making a fuss about how the Autobots didn't share fully their technology with the humans, Kim thought she saw something flash before her eyes, but shook that thought away, and interrupted the director.

"Uh, look, Mr. Galloway," she started, drawing the attention on her. "I can understand the human desire to know and learn more, but we all know where that would bring us. I mean, we know the 'little incident' with the apple, or how it ended for Dante's Ulysses, right?"

Galloway narrowed his eyes at her. "We are not talking metaphorically. I want you to talk to the Autobots, an-"

"What?" Kim groaned, interrupting him. "Their weapons? You heard the Big Guy. The transmissions? Do you know how many people use their cell phone to send unnecessary messages? At least the Autobots' are useful!"

"Useful?!" he repeated, indignantly. "Perhaps you don't know what they did in Shanghai."

Kim was slowly losing her patience, but she managed to keep her composure. "_I_ covered up that mess." She stated, rubbing her aching head, as she looked at Will and Epps.

Lennox smiled sympathetically at her, while it looked like Epps was about to simply throttle the new annoying director.

"Miss Witwicky," Galloway continued with the same superiority of someone who knew something you didn't. "You are Autobots' official representative, and you are responsible for them. But that position means that you also have to do _our_ interests."

"I _am_ doing our interests!" Kim replied, forcefully. "And trust me: if the Decepticons are really here for something different from the Autobots, which I'm sure they are, you wouldn't want to face them alone."

"Please," Galloway scoffed. "Mankind is fully capable of taking care of itself."

"No, we're not!" Kim protested exasperated, while at the same time, Epps exclaimed the same thing, stating that the politician wasn't there when they had to face the Decepticons in Mission City, and therefore he didn't know what he was talking about. Will had to restrain the Sergeant from injuring physically the director.

Kim just hold her head. Now it seemed that it was throbbing badly, like a part of it was going to explode. As the three men continued to argue, strange symbols started to appear before Kim's eyes. When they looked at the new director arguing with the soldiers, she didn't know how, but something resembling a computer graphic popped up, showing her everything the man bought with his credit card.

If Kim had been in her right mind, she would have closed the connection, and called Optimus Prime straight away. But right now, she felt like being possessed by a strange, if not odd force.

A small chuckle left her lips, and she sighed exasperated. "Mr. Galloway, did anyone ever tell you that you are an asshole?"

Her question was enough to stop the arguing men. The director turned to her with wide eyes. Maybe he misheard her… "Excuse me?"

"Oh, you have much to atone for." She nodded.

"Kim…" Lennox warned her.

"This is… intolerable!" he blurted.

"You know what's really intolerable?" she asked, raising her voice a knot. "Well, first off, your tie. It's horrendous. You hope no one would notice that it's fake, but your credit card does the talking. You bought it three days ago, and got it real cheap." She stated, then continued, not giving Galloway the possibility of a reply. "And your last name? Since the first moment I heard of it, I thought about 'The galway girl'! Seriously! Oh, and your name. Theodore. C'mon!" she chuckled, and giggled like a fool.

"That is enough! I don't tolerate-" but she continued, ignoring him.

"How frustrating would that be for you. What a small, little bureaucrat, who knows nothing of the Autobots, but wants to be the know-it-all hot shot guy who's gonna straight this place OUT!"

"KIM!!" Lennox had to scream to make her stop.

"Miss Witwicky, I don't tolerate your rudeness."

"You won't have to tolerate it any longer. I resign!" she spat, and reached for the switch, closing the connection.

Kim was panting heavily. She watched the blackened screen before her, the force who seemed to have possessed her suddenly gone.

"Huh…" she gawked at it, suddenly remembering what happened, and not believing it at all.

She stood from the chair she was sitting in, and headed straight for the bathroom, to throw some cold water on her face. _Maybe I'm just stressed_, she tried to reassure herself, but deep down she knew something was wrong. Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she felt a strange sensation, and darted out of the room, and straight in the garage.

What she didn't know was that her sister too was seeing the same strange symbols.

* * *

As the professor continued talking, something flashed across Sam's vision.

_What? _She thought confused, looking around to see if the others had seen something. No one was moving, as the professor continued talking.

_Must be my imagination_, Sam thought. The mysterious something flashed across her vision again.

_What is going on??_ Sam's mind demanded, as more and more of the strange things flashed across her vision.

Odd, definitely not earthling symbols started to pass before Sam's eyes, that widened in shock.

"Sam?" Leo asked from beside her. "You okay?"

"Yes!" Sam lied, as her right eye started to tic in a rather nasty way.

She opened up her textbook, hoping to dispel the visions that way. One page after the other, reading and reading and reading, and she found herself at the end of the book.

An astonished Leo watched her read the entire volume in less than 6 seconds. His mouth hung open, as Sam seemed possessed, and raised her hand to interrupt her professor, gaining few incredulous looks from her classmates as well.

"Now is not the time for questions!" Colan snapped in mid-presentation.

Not caring what the professor told her, Sam stood, and started to babble. "You know, I don't like being the one to correct someone every time they're wrong, but I feel the need to say that Einstein's wrong."

Even Colan was now watching her stunned and dumbfounded. Was this girl asserting what he heard her saying in front of about three hundred students and himself!?

Apparently she was, considering that the girl didn't listen to him, as she rushed the podium and usurped his chalkboard.

She started to draw the same symbols she was seeing, all the way stating that the first four dimensions were unfairly in the spotlight, and nobody cared about the other thirteen. This went on for a little while, before Colan grew frustrated of her bluntness.

"Miss!" Colan angrily replied, and Sam stopped abruptly. "That would be enough." he gestured to the door, and she stomped angrily towards it.

"We'll see what the Vok will say about you!" she spat back, before shutting the door loudly.

A moment later, Sam snapped out of her trance. She blinked once, then twice. Did she really do what she thought she did? She did. Damn! Growling internally, she rushed out of the hall with all her books and notes, desperately fumbling around her bag for her cell-phone.

* * *

_Beep, beep, beep… Click._

**Hello?** Kim's voice came as a relief for Sam.

"Kim, I need your help!" Sam said exasperated, as she walked down the college's garden to reach her room.

**What did you do this time?** Kim sighed. She had enough problems with the Autobots and all.

"I just had a full-blown mental meltdown in the middle of my class!"

**Oh? I ****resigned, and could be in the White House's black list right now.**

"Look, I'm seeing-" Sam paused, "What??"

**Yeah, you know that Galloway person? He provoked me, and ****I kinda told him to shove it…** her sister trailed off. **Funny thing is that I told him he was a perfect loser searching the web to have proofs.**

"You always do that," Sam pointed out.

**Yeah, but this time I saw everything I wanted to know about him by simply looking at him!**

Sam started to climb down the stairs, but hit some people, and stopped to pick up her notes, freaking out anyone who wanted to help her. "Anyway – DON'T TOUCH THAT!!"

**T****ouch what?**

"Not you!" Sam growled. "Look, remember our great, great grandfather?"

**Yeah, Archibald Witwicky. What about him?**

"Remember when dad told us he got insane, and died drawing strange symbols?" her voice took a high pitched tone, as if she was afraid that the same thing would happen to her. Sam didn't even wait for a reply. "It's happening!!" she whimpered. "I see strange symbols!!"

**Strange symbols?** Kim repeated. Were they the same she saw? **When did this start?**

Unbeknownst to the brunette hacker, a remote-controlled monster truck toy observed her interested, while she talked to her sister.

"This morning, when I started my lesson. But I think I saw them before… when I-" Sam stopped dead in her track, like she'd been hit by a lighting.

**Sam?** Kim called, realisation slowly creeping upon her.

"When I touched the All Spark shard." She realized.

**You did it, didn't you?** Kim groaned.

"Never mind. Are Jazz or Bumblebee there?" Sam asked. Hopefully one of the Autobots would be able to help them.

**No. Optimus called both of them. They left yesterday evening.**

A groan left Sam's lips. "Ok, do you have the fragment?"

As it heard this question, the pick-up toy rolled towards the boxes piled up in the Witwicky's garage, and started to unfold itself, taking the shape of a small robot with burning red optics.

"Of course I have it." Kim assured her sister. "It's right here in the safe."

Upon hearing this, the small Decepticon chuckled. "You're a goddess in cyberspace, but reality ain't your thing!" he said, while still keeping an optic on Kim, and silently approaching the safe only few feet in front of him. Silently being the keyword.

_Snap!_

"OWW! Damn it! Son of a _trap_!" Wheeler muttered as silently as he could, as one of his wheeled foot got trapped in a mousetrap. He watched if the human acknowledged his presence, and sighed in relief when he saw she didn't.

Kim was still talking at the phone. "Yeah, it's safe in there. And don't worry: I put several mousetraps in front of it!" she smiled, trying to reassure her sister that the shard was well protected.

_And couldn't you say that before?_ Wheeler thought, letting out a huge intake from his systems, and looked at the safe, inches from him. Swallowing back his pain, trap still fixed to his foot, he took another step forward…

…Only to get his other foot trapped too!

His left foot jammed down onto something sticky. He looked down to find a black pad of some kind attached to him. "This place is a freakin' House of Horrors!" he hissed, as he managed to stand on both trapped feet.

Although Kim was still oblivious to the little thief, his whimpers got the attention of two small organic creatures that stopped the mating ritual they were performing on the rag, and approached him. With the pain radiating from his feet, Wheeler was in no mood to be challenged.

"What are you looking at, small slobber pusses?" he demanded.

The dogs stared at each others, then decided to ignore him, and went back to their spot on the rag. Luckily for him, Kim was still engrossed in her conversation with Sam to notice the fuss.

Wheeler smirked, and attempted to reach the safe and unlock it, as quietly as he could. As soon as he reached the safe, he pressed his metallic head to the door, and began turning the combination lock. He heard the right kind of clicking inside, and realized he'd figured out the first number. Gingerly, he turned it in the reverse direction, then slowed down. He immediately heard another click. He turned the wheel in the other direction, and heard the lock open. As he opened the heavy safe door, he was greeted by the All Spark shard, laying, almost waiting for him, in a clear plastic box.

**Okay, okay, I got it.** Sam replied. **Whatever you do don't touch it!!**

"I know. I told you that!" Kim started, then turned her head when she heard movement near the safe, and saw that her dogs had stopped trying to 'dominate' one another, and had gone over to investigate. "I'll come to you as soon as I can." She said then hung up.

The past few minutes Wheeler had to whimper as silently as he could, as he tried to avoid the various dangerous objects on the floor, as well as retrieve the shard, and now… Now he was resisting the urge to crackle gleefully, as he was finally holding his prize in his little servo.

Suddenly, the box near the safe was removed, revealing his whole frame. The noise he made must have alerted Kim to his presence, and the girl was now looming over the diminutive Deception.

For a moment, both stared stunned at each other.

The small Decepticon let out a girl-like scream, as he backed away from the safe, dropping the All Spark shard in the process.

Fortunately for her, their garage had many tools scattered all over the place. The Decepticon's escape failed miserably. Kim snatched up a pair of tongs, pinning him firmly on the wall before he could transform.

"Is that the best you got, huh? Is that best you can do?" Wheeler tried the tough guy act, though he knew he had bit off more than he could chew. And, this time, he could end up being the one chewed on!

"What are you doing here, you little freak?!" she demanded, baring her teeth to look intimidating.

"You wouldn't want to know!" the robot smugly replied.

Her eyes narrowed at his answer. "Try me!" she said, as she grabbed a nearby blowtorch, and burnt out his left optic.

Wheeler cried out in pain as the fire discoloured, and liquefied his optic. "That's my optic, you crazy bitch!"

"What did you just call me?!" Kim increased the pressure on his small chassis with the tongs.

"Ow, ow! Okay! I seek the knowledge of the Cube!"

"You're after the piece of the AllSpark, then."

Her captive started getting hyper. "You got the shard, gimme the shard, I need it, gimme the shard, they're gonna whack me, if I don't bring them the shard!"

"Whoever they are, they won't have that chance, 'cause I'll be the one whacking your sorry aft!" Kim growled.

She felt bad already for burning his optic, just like she felt bad for hacking Frenzy away two years ago. She couldn't bring herself to torture the little Decepticon for more than a couple of seconds — but as long as her charade worked…

"Easy, Goddess of Cyberspace, I'm just a little salvage scrap drone." Wheeler said in a mellower tone.

"If you don't want to be only scrap, you'd better spill your guts!" she replied.

"I'm no rat!" he spat back, and immediately tried to scramble away.

"Wrong answer." Was all he heard, before the girl shoved him in a box, despite his protests, and slammed the lid down tight, locking him inside.

"Hey! Lemme out of here!" Wheeler shrieked.

"Shut up." Kim said.

Her head and shoulders slumped. Had she really tortured a small Decepticon? The thought of Frenzy made her ponder. Usually, small Decepticon spies, such as a Cassetticon, or this big mouth, need a bigger mech to work with. Kim reached the window of the garage, and her chocolate eyes spotted a police cruiser sitting 'innocently' not far from her house.

She gasped, and backed away from the window. "Then he's back!"

It was true. Barricade was back. Bumblebee and Jazz weren't there. Optimus was worried about them. What the Hell was going on??

Kim shook her head, and took out her PDA. She needed to find Sam, and bring her the shard. But at the same time, she couldn't let Barricade follow her.

Smirking to herself, she started to formulate a plan.

* * *

Barricade was tired of this.

It was becoming a problem. Just sitting along the road, and waiting for that fleshling to do something was boring. The only bright spot was that he didn't have to stand that annoying little scrap drone any longer.

After the humans slagged Frenzy, Soundwave had kept him on various sentinel duty, as well as forcing him to drive Wheeler around, and keep an optic on the Autobots' pet humans, Sam and Kim Witwicky. The same weak, fragile, insignificant humans that killed their leader.

Megatron.

Two simple meat bags killed the most powerful tyrant ever created. Makes you think, doesn't it?

And Barricade thought about it every day. Every, slagging day he was ordered to stalk the two girls. But then again, having plenty of time to spend just watching and waiting had its advantages.

The black and white interceptor found himself often wondering on the two girls, on their reasons to fight. In the last battle, they both fought like any mech he knew, even more so. They both risked their lives in a war that was not theirs, with no assurance to be one of the survivors. They just had the courage to try anyway; because they somehow knew that what they fought for was worth it.

Barricade pondered that thought for a nanosecond. Was the Decepticons' cause worth it? Was he truly willing to die for his cause? True, he fought for the cause in the past. Ferociously… but that was not the point.

Since when he escaped the battle in Mission City, he found himself wondering about his alliance. Was he really willing to sacrifice his life for the Decepticons' goals?

At least he was positive about one thing: he would never be an Autobot. Period.

He couldn't be. He didn't feel the urge to protect life, and didn't stand the humans. It just wasn't his thing, like the humans say. But then again, there were at least two humans that he could stand.

The Witwicky sisters.

They were extremely… _intriguing_. So different from each other, despite them being twins. They both shared the same determination, the same will to fight for their friends, being them earthlings, or Cybertronians.

In the past few months it has been almost fun to watch them deal with the aftermath. Their house was often visited by the Autobots, and Barricade had to be stealth personified, not to get caught.

Then the visits ceased. And one of the siblings decided to leave… and he had to stay. To stay with the one who didn't like his paintjob! At least the other liked his form.

Barricade didn't like where his thoughts always brought him. They always made him shudder, as his processor indulged in fantasies of the curly-haired girl removing some of the boredom from his observation duties with a sponge and a spray of water.

He'd contemplated the notion of the female washing and waxing him, attentively caressing his hood, and stroking other sensitive nodes all over his frame. That was oddly attractive.

He'd examine the mental oddity later, for right now, a cab drove near the Witwicky's residence, and parked along the street.

The fleshling exited the house when the cab arrived, then loaded few bags, and said something to the driver. She rushed inside the house, and back again. After few minutes, the cab moved, and drove off. Barricade followed them suit.

Half a hour of stalking the cab later, Barricade had had enough. His sirens flared to life as he pulled over the cab on a less travelled road. His hologram got off his alt-mode, and walked over to the cab, resisting the urge to just crush it under his feet.

"Is there a problem, officer?" the driver asked.

He ignored the question, and opened the door of the back of the car, where Kim was. The girl in the cab turned slightly her head, as she flickered a bit, like his hologram did sometimes.

She smirked, and picked up her middle finger. "See ya, Cadie!" she said in a bitchy tone, winking at him, then disappeared, leaving only a silver PDA on the seat.

Barricade paused for a moment, realizing he had been played like a car horn. Shaking with anger, he turned to the driver. "Where is the girl?" he shouted.

* * *

"So, Miss Witwicky, right?" a man asked as he examined Kim's documents so that she could board the plane that would take her to Princeton University.

"Yes," Kim smiled.

"Your carry-on item is work-related?" he asked, as he examined the small, white, metallic toolbox.

"Yes," Kim smiled again.

"Yes, it's a boooomb!" the toolbox exclaimed, and the man eyed it oddly.

Kim put a heeled boot on the box, temporarily silencing it. She put on her best, innocent, and flirting smile, stating, "I'm ventriloquist."

It seemed to work, for the man just gave her back her papers, and sent her to Gate 18, although still glancing at her quite awkwardly.

"Told ya I'm a goddess!" she smirked, and the toolbox seemed to snort. Her smirk just widened as she boarded the plane. It was time to see Sam.

* * *

What a naughty Cadie!!! Hope you liked it!!!

Next chapter will be waaaayyyyy more interesting, and there will be much more action!!!! So what can I say? Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	5. Chapter 5: Missed me?

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Aww, this chapter's full of action! So many things happen!! Let's just say, the interesting part is about to begin!! Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… enjoy! ;)

* * *

**5- Missed me?**

It was so strange exploring this word through human eyes. No. On second thought, strange was not the word he'd used. Disgusting. What a wonderful word to describe the humans.

Since when he was ordered to stalk the very human who destroyed his leader, the pretender found his mission revolting. He remembered when Starscream told them the unbelievable events concerning Megatron's demise, and when Soundwave ordered him to infiltrate a human facility called University.

And here he was, going by the name of Alan, forced to be near all these humans, but being unable to hurt the parasites he had to live with. He always felt his fuel tank threatening to empty itself whenever he neared the female of the species he loathed. Their pheromone levels practically skyrocketed even when he just passed by one of them, not even bothering to glance at her.

The pretender never found any logic in this race. But then again, this information assured him that he had blend in this society perfectly. All this planet was about to be disinfested from the plague, that had caused so much trouble to his master.

They were one step closer to purify this world from its inferior inhabitants… so Alan could stand his form a little longer, couldn't he? How long, the pretender couldn't help but think, how long would his mission last? How long would he be forced in a human shell? How long before he could let loose his instincts, and kill the very human he was ordered to find?

Not much longer…

Alan smirked as he made his way to Sam's dorm room; he received the message he longed from Soundwave. It was time to act. Megatron was alive again, and it was time for his revenge. So that led Alan to Sam's room, wanting to 'talk' to the girl, without her meddling yellow car around.

En route, though, he was engaged by Leo. Alan sighed annoyed. Humans were irritating, what with their tendency to show up at inappropriate moments. It was clear that this boy was interested in the Witwicky female as well, though for different reasons.

The Hispanic human continued to babble on and on about his stupid website, trying to make Alan forget about his prey, and failing miserably in his attempt to get rid of an opponent. Alan was not interested in the Witwicky girl that way, but he had to play along… at least for a bit longer.

Alan smirked, finally opening the door that was separating him from his prize, silently hoping to get rid of the blabbing young man as well. His smirk only got wider, when he found the true object of his desires covering every flat surface in her room with Cyberglyphic symbols.

Sam turned as the door opened, gawking at the newcomers.

"Sam!" Leo shrieked, glancing at the inscribed walls of the room. "Y'know, Hanna won't be happy 'bout it…" he trailed off.

"Um… you see, these are… I am, uh, redecorating! Yeah, that's it…" She tried to find a way to explain what she had done without sounding crazy.

"Leave us alone." Alan demanded icily.

"Wait, can I at least watch?" Leo tried, figuring out what was to come next.

Alan groaned internally at the human's stupidity, but forced himself not to throttle the boy, and just pushed him outside, and summarily shut the door in his face.

"S-ssoo? What a-re you doing h-here?" Sam stammered, watching the boy closing the distance between them.

She couldn't believe how flustered she felt. His eyes were piercing through her very soul. She felt she was losing her grip of reality. She felt his hand on her right shoulder. Her heart jumped inside her chest. _W__hat is he doing?_ Sam thought as she felt his grip tighten.

Sam didn't have time to react, as his arms wrapped around her frame, forcing her on the bed. Her heart's pace quickened, as Alan pinned her down with his own weight. He crawled on her, straddling her hips with his knees. She tried to push him off, but he just grabbed her wrists.

"Get off of me!" she squealed, her mind desperately demanding it, her body fighting against her request.

"Oh, don't you wanna have some fun?" He breathed out, licking the line of her jaw, and hating himself for the contact. Her heart pounded in her ears as she closed her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

Alan smirked, feeling that she had stopped struggling, and briefly found it absolutely unbelievable. After all, this girl stood up against _Megatron_, and didn't back down until the end. Seduction was really a formidable weapon to use against humans…

The pretender marvelled at how easy his task had been, as he nipped her lower lip, and elected few moans from the girl. Humans were easily fooled, when someone pushed the right buttons.

Taking advantage from the fact that she kept her eyes shut, Alan let an entirely different, and not too friendly-looking, probing appendage snake out from beneath his shirt. The metallic tentacle was meant to cause minimal damage to Sam, to let Alan take her to his leader, without her complaining too much.

Unfortunately, a commotion going on outside the room and the sound of fast footsteps nearing them forced Alan to stealthily retract the probe, just as the door slammed open.

* * *

"Hey, gorgeous!" Leo called upon seeing the brunette with a white toolbox, making her way through the dorms.

She was looking for some room, and paid no attention at him at all. Leo ran after her, and gripped her arm, causing her to turn to him.

"Yes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you look familiar." He said, thinking that he must have seen her somewhere, but he just couldn't point his finger on something. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think so." She replied, jerking her arm. "Do you know where Samantha Jade Witwicky is?"

"Sam?" Leo asked. _Why does everyone want to see her?_ He thought. "She's in room 212." He said pointing at her room's door. "But you may not want to go in there." He added.

Kim gave him an annoyed look. "Look, I'm not in the mood right now. Thank you, bye." She said, before heading to Sam's room.

"Wait! Who are you?" Leo asked, jogging behind the fast-paced girl.

"Sam's sister," she replied.

"No way. Sam's got a sister?" Leo asked dumbfounded when they stopped in front of the room, forgetting who was inside.

"Unfortunately…" Kim muttered, as she opened the door.

The door opened, revealing Sam sprawled on the bed with Alan on top of her.

"…for her." Kim stared blankly as the two people disentangled themselves from their 'intimate' moment.

Silence ensued, as Kim stared with wide eyes at her sister, who pushed away Alan to stand, and greeted the shorter girl.

"Kim," Sam started, but her angry sister cut her off.

"I've boarded the first plane I found. I thought you were about to die!" she hissed, her tone raising with each word.

"T-this is all a misunderstanding, I assure you." Sam tried.

"Misunderstanding?" Kim repeated in disbelief. "Oh, no. I _assure_ you that we all understood perfectly!"

"Hey, you can't take it out on her if you don't have a boyfriend."

Kim turned deadly glaring eyes to the reclining boy. "Did I ask you?!" she spat, and Alan smirked defiantly at her. "Call me when your pheromones come back to normal levels!" That said, Kim turned on her heels, and left the room in a huff, Leo trailing behind her.

Alan waited patiently, sitting on the bed, and watching enjoyed the scene before him. After the shorter girl rush out of the room, he took his chance, before his target could go out as well.

Alan extruded his tongue again, only this time it was metallic, and definitely longer. He wrapped it about Sam's neck, closing off her oxygen supply.

As she walked back down the hallway, Kim turned when she heard Sam's strangled cries. She ran back in the room, making a mental note to regret it the morning after.

Her eyes widened once again upon seeing the two people. This time in horror.

"SAM!!" she screamed, and didn't waste time as she dislodged Alan by throwing the toolbox containing Wheeler at him.

He ducked, and the box fell through the window, but he also had to let go of Sam.

Leo chose this point to return, only to regret it the moment he entered the room. "What is haaaaaaahhhh!!" He screamed.

Alan's human flesh started to fold away, revealing long, metallic tentacles, which lunged for the three humans, who ducked, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"RUN! RUNRUNRUN!!" Sam screamed, and took Kim's hand. Leo just followed them.

The trio fled out of the dorm, and made it successfully outside. They hid behind one of the large pillars in the campus' garden.

"I'm the key to this." Leo realized as he panted. "The aliens. They want me, 'cause of my site!"

"What are you talking about?" a not amused Kim asked. "I don't think the D-cons want some website."

"D-what? Who are you?" Leo asked dumbfounded.

Sam growled. "Kim, this is Leo. Leo, this is Kim, my sister. She works for the government."

"No way!" he exclaimed, a bit louder, and received the order to shut up. "So you know about the aliens? Like, what happened in Shanghai? Then you must know about my site. The Real Effing Deal!" The boy exclaimed excitedly.

"Never heard of it." Kim deadpanned dismissively.

"What?!" he said disappointed.

"Zip it!" Sam ordered. "Now, let's go." And they tried to run towards the exit, seeing that Alan wasn't chasing them.

Unfortunately, the newly transformed robotic war machine intercepted them, running through a wall. They stopped, and rushed back inside the campus, heading to the library, where they hid, hoping that Alan wouldn't see them behind the shelves.

Sam hid behind a table, while Kim and Leo crouched next to it. Panting, the hacker looked at her sister from behind the table's thick legs. "Where do I start?" she wondered.

Sam groaned, and spoke up. "You don't. We're gonna have 10 seconds of silence, alright?"

"Sam, this game doesn't work since we were six!" Kim groaned.

"I'm not gonna talk to you for 10 seconds…" Sam started, covering her ears.

Kim seemed unimpressed by her sister's attempt to avoid a necessary conversation, and hissed, raising her voice, "I had to lose Barricade by using my hologram… And I had to give up my PDA!"

"You got thirty PDA, which one are you referring to? Sam replied annoyed. "Besides, you like using your gizmos!" she added, then turned away. "And I'm still not talking to you…" she continued to chant.

The brunette wasn't done, and her eyes narrowed more. "I had to hack the airport computer to be on the first flight here… leaving someone behind!"

"You can do that?!" Leo asked startled, but was ignored.

"You have 3 seconds left…" Sam kept on her chanting, now using her fingers to count the remaining seconds.

"And where do I find you?! With a D-con trying to figure out what you had for lunch!!" Kim shrieked in a low tone.

Although Sam was busy muttering to herself, looking anywhere but at her sister, she had heard perfectly everything she said. "What were you saying?"

"Y'know, the way you put it…" Leo started, but his words went unheard. "It's disgusting!"

Kim shook her head. "How could you do that to Bumblebee?"

"He's not my boyfriend!!" Sam snapped, a little tired of everyone reminding her that.

"He's your guardian. Despite the fact that you dismissed him, you should at least respect that, unless…" Kim smirked. "You like the bad guys!"

"I don't!" Sam snapped back.

"I was right! I was right!" Kim chanted.

"Ugh! And what about you and the Autobots, huh?"

"I just help them settle down." Kim replied.

"Settle comfortably…" Sam muttered.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?!" Kim shrieked, unable to contain herself.

A split-second later, the door to the library exploded, revealing a rather pissed off Alan, again in his human form, except for his right arm, that was turned into a cannon. People screamed, and fled, upon seeing the new Terminator causing mayhem in the library, destroying several shelves with energy blasts, and eventually blasting a hole in the library wall.

Sam, Kim, and Leo, after much needed screams, saw their opportunity to run away, and made a mad rush for the new opening, and ended up in the parking lot. It took Alan a few moments to understand that his quarry fled, and practically no time to run after them.

"Take the toolbox!" Kim ordered to Sam as they ran near the place where the white box had landed.

Sam picked it up, and reached her fleeting mates in the parking lot, where Kim opened the door of a silver car.

"Is this your car?" Leo questioned.

"Hey, if you want to have a chat with the T1000, you're free to go!" Kim spat, as she found the appropriate wires under the steering wheel, and hotwired the car, just as Sam climbed aboard.

"You can do that too?" Leo asked dumbfounded.

"Sam taught me." She said, before taking off at top speed.

"Whoa!" Leo muttered, staring at both girls in the front. "You hack, you can hotwire a car, and you like The Terminator!" he sighed. "Why didn't I meet you before?" he whispered to himself.

"Aww, I love Terminator!" Kim said, eyeing the boy from the mirror, as she kept a vigil eye on the road. "T2 is my favourite. I like the way the robot interacts with the humans, and-"

"Excuse me?!" A shrieking Sam cut her off. "Can we please talk about that when we don't have a bloodthirsty Decepticon on our tail?!"

Just as she finished her sentence, a loud thud was heard, as something not much big, but heavy, landed on the hood of the car. The three of them screamed as Alan tried to get at Sam by smashing through the windshield, while Kim tried to shake him off by driving.

"It's here! It's there! Stop him! We're gonna diiiiieeeee!!!!"

"Kiiiiim! Do something!!"

"Tongue! Tongue! Tongue!"

"Oh, gross!!"

"Swerve!"

"Turn right!!"

"WOULD YOU TWO KEEP QUIET?!"

Kim had to yell at the top of her lungs, and over the others' shouts, as she tried her best to shake off the rather disturbing alien, who was busy trying to wrap his still organic tongue around Sam's neck.

Kim had no luck in doing so, though, and opted for plan B. A confident expression on her face accompanied her foot, firmly stepping on the pedal to increase the speed of the car.

"Asta la vista, Baby!" Kim hissed, and rammed both car and Decepticon passenger into a lamp post.

Luckily, the car took the crash well (…the same could not be said for Alan), and was still able to speed off. And that's exactly what Kim did: speeding off as far from the city as possible, after making sure to grind what was left of Alan under the car's tires.

"Who taught you to drive?" Leo asked in a daze.

"Sideswipe," Kim replied nonchalantly.

"What?" the two passengers asked at the same time, one in confusion, the other in disbelief.

"I'm gonna have a neural break…" Leo muttered, massaging his temples.

"Hey, if you're gonna freak out, faint so you won't bother us." Kim replied, rather rudely, to the poor guy in the back, as she continued to speed as fast as she could to get out of the city.

Sam shook her head when Kim yelled at Leo. She really should have more sympathy for this guy, knowing that, two years ago, she had freaked out as well. She turned, smiling sympathetically at him.

But now her sister was right. It wasn't time to freak out. They were on the run from the Decepticons, and they needed to think of a way to find the Autobots, before the other faction found them.

Sam turned to speak to Leo. "That thing that you saw back there, that was a… WHHOOOAAAA!"

She was suddenly interrupted by a giant hook-looking thing, which cut through the roof of the car, like it was a wet newspaper. The car was abruptly lifted in the air by a black helicopter, and it listed significantly toward the right side, sending the three passengers sliding down towards it.

Sam felt gravity pulling her to the door, which she hit with her back, causing it to open. For the second time in two years, she felt the lack of land beneath her feet, as the cold air smacked her back, while she started her freefall towards the ground.

"Saaammmm!" luckily for her, Kim was quick to grab her forearm, and was able to hold her sister's weight with Leo's help.

As she was left to swing like a broken pendulum, Sam had a chance to take a good look at their chaser: her eyes widened when she recognized the familiar purple insignia. At that, her screaming continued as she held on her sister's hand for dear life. Few seconds later, the two humans still inside the car successfully helped Sam back in.

"We're gonna die!" Leo screamed, as the helicopter continued to take them to their unknown destination.

Sam was about to yell at him again, but, suddenly, the cable that tied them to the Decepticon snapped, sending helicopter and car in opposite directions.

As their vehicle dropped hood first, Sam had a perfect view of the ground hurling closer and closer to them. The curly-haired girl screamed, mouth open and eyes wide, as they freefell from the grip of the Decepticon, all the way accompanied by two helpless, terror-stricken humans, who added their voices to hers.

Down and down and down they went, each of them yelling as they prayed any god they knew to rescue them. Sam closed her eyes shut, as they prepared themselves for a very rough landing, hoping to feel the familiar, warm, metallic hand wrapping around her body to stop the fall.

The bone-shaking, sudden, and truly graceless crash came without metal hands to prevent it. The only thing standing between them and death were the airbags, that filled themselves with air as the car smashed on the ground, accompanied by a thick plume of dust. Their wild ride was finally over.

* * *

Sam reopened her eyes, staring at the shattered windshield just behind the airbag, wondering vaguely if she was dead. The sheer force of the impact should have been enough to kill them all, if it wasn't for the airbags. All the windows were shattered, and the frame of the car was unrecognizable.

Turning slowly her head to the side, Sam realized they had landed upside down, for now her long hair was covering her eyes.

"Are you still alive?" Sam asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"No." Leo replied, his voice also a weak rasp. Kim's hoarse voice groaned next to her sister, as she started to bang lightly her hand on the airbag. Small slivers of glass fell with each slight movement they made.

They were just trying to collect themselves, when a blade was thrust inside the remains of the vehicle, bisecting it. The two half of the car fell miserably on the floor like two half of an apple, with sparks dancing from the contact of metal on metal.

Leo slowly emerged from one half, along with Kim, and both stared wide-eyed at a grinning Starscream, who'd just cut open the car. Sam took a few steps back, as she exited the other half, and neared a railing. What she didn't expect, was the menacing being raising behind her.

Sam turned slowly, almost feeling the giant's presence. The breath was caught in her throat, as she stared at the two red lights, longing their revenge. Optimus' words returned clear in her mind as she watched the Decepticon leader she thought she'd killed two years before.

And instead, there he was. Megatron. In all his menacing, dark glory, with his knife-like spikes twisted in what she knew was a mocking smirk.

"Missed me, fleshling?" His deep and smooth voice rolled through his razor-sharp teeth.

She didn't have time to react, as Megatron took her in his giant, clawed hand, sending her flying on the store below the one the car crashed onto.

"SAAMMM!" Kim screamed, as Megatron's claw trapped her.

Before she could rush to her sister's side, a cold, pointed hand wrapped itself around her frame, as Starscream captured her.

"Now, now. Hold still, girl." Starscream's high pitched voice sounded like an exasperated parent scolding his daughter, but it held an undertone of malice.

Kim noticed that Leo too was held captive in Starscream's other hand. Turning her head from Starscream's, who was a little too close for comfort, Kim looked at her sister, and prayed that someone would come to rescue them.

_Optimus, where are you?_

* * *

CLIFFHANGEEEEEEEEEERRRRR!!! Hope you liked it!!!

Next chapter will be SAD!! We've all watched the movie, you know what's to happen next!:'-(

So what can I say? Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	6. Chapter 6: Our darkest hour

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Warning: this chapter is very, very sad. I tried my best to make it as emotional as possible. Hope you like it!

Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

**6- Our darkest hour**

"I know you're pissed." Sam started, feeling quite uneasy as her wrists and ankles were held down by a metallic claw. "You're pissed, because we tried to kill you, right? It's totally understandable." She watched the irritated titan from her laying position on some metal sheet. "I mean, if someone tried to kill us, we'd be upset too." She nodded feebly and quite nervously to support her words.

Megatron brought his faceplate closer to her face. "You didn't think I was going to stay offline forever?" he breathed, sneering at the horror-struck girl.

"Well, some of us did…" Kim piped in, glancing meaningfully at Starscream, who, in turn, squeezed her tighter.

"Don't get cocky with a Seeker, human…" Starscream whispered in her ear, as she thrashed hopelessly and groaned under his touch. "…Especially when you are held by one!"

Sam watched her sister's teeth gritting in pain from the corner of her eyes, feeling helpless, but not wanting to give up yet. They needed to buy time for the Autobots to come and save them. Because they were going to save them… right?

"Hey, I think that we have an opportunity here to start anew, and develop our relationship, and see where it leads us…" She tried to relate with a thirty-foot-tall robot rather pissed off with her whole kind, and it was clear she was getting no where. "C-c'mon! You always speak of yourselves as an advanced species, you shouldn't be as 'brutal' as we-"

"Silence, worm!" Megatron bellowed, cutting off the girl, who gasped for the tone he used, and shut her mouth close. "Doctor?" he turned to someone Sam couldn't see.

A split second later, a small, glasses-wearing and nasty-looking robot, resembling a spider of some sort, was crawling its way on Sam's body.

"EEEWWW! Get off me!!" she screeched, trashing, but unsuccessfully.

"I von't lie to you." The Doctor, a.k.a. Scalpel, said with some sort of German accent, while raising one of his needle-shaped legs. "Zis is going to hurt… a lot." Sam's eyes widened as she saw the small optics of the Decepticon shine with malice. "But remember: you're doing it for a greater cause." Then he shoved the needle in Sam's left temple.

A strangled cry left Sam's lips, and she had to close her eyes, as the small robot probed her memory with no regard whatsoever to her privacy.

"Saaammmm!" Kim cried, trashing to get free from Starscream's grip, but only having his clawed fingers wrapping tighter around her body.

"HA! Here it is," The Doctor exclaimed, and Sam opened her eyes to see that the little spider was projecting the symbols she was seeing all around her.

"And the Energon source?" Megatron asked, almost impatiently.

The little spider stopped dead. His optics betrayed his fear. "Uh, Lord Megatron," he started, removing the needle, and facing his leader. "I cannot quite read ze map…"

A growl was his response, as Megatron narrowed his optics. "Then remove her brain. You should be able to access the information from the All Spark shard that way." He barked.

"What?" Sam shrieked.

"NO! TAKE YOUR DIRTY WHATEVER THEY ARE AWAY FROM HER!!!!!!" Kim cried out, before Starscream knocked the air out of her lungs again. As a response to his force, her ribcage made a light _crack_ noise, and the girl surely hoped nothing broke, although she was sure that would hurt tomorrow. That is, if they were going to have a tomorrow…

"Don't worry," Megatron told her smoothly. "You're next." He grinned at her shocked expression.

Just as Scalpel was about to perform his fatal neurosurgery on Sam, an Optimus Prime-shaped hole burst open on the wall of the abandoned industrial complex, as said leader made his great entrance.

Sam sighed in relief, and a split second later, two other craters opened themselves, as Jazz and Bumblebee ambushed the Decepticons.

Bumblebee and Jazz attacked Starscream immediately, causing him to drop the two humans. Snorting, the Air Commander ordered Grindor to attack, seeing that Optimus managed to whisk Sam away from the grip of his leader.

"Get the kids outta here! I'll cover ya!" Jazz instructed, firing at the oncoming helicopter.

Bumblebee nodded, and transformed, opening his doors for the humans.

Under the numerous bullets flying this way and that, and the various sounds that said shots made as they zipped by, Kim still managed to find her voice to protest against Jazz's order. "What about Sam?"

Kim reached Jazz as he crouched in defense behind his shield, ignoring Bumblebee's voice intimating her to get inside him. The ground shook violently, causing Kim to temporarily lose her balance, and to grab the edge of a plate on Jazz's leg. The touch drew his attention on her, and she stared at her own scared reflection in his visor. Even if she couldn't see his optics, she could tell he was worried sick about her.

"Kim, go!" His voice has never been so urgent, not even when she was carrying the All Spark.

"But-"

"NOW!" Jazz growled harshly. Kim was taken aback by his harshness; the calm and cool SIC had never been so rude… so rude to her.

Jazz's tone, along with explosions echoing all around her temporarily paralyzed the young hacker. Suddenly, she felt two hands grasp her shoulders, and turn her around. She was met by Leo, who yelled at her to go in the yellow car, and a blast hitting the ground only few feet from them made her sprint towards Bumblebee.

Just before she could get in, though, a white box laying nearby caught her attention. She briefly stopped, and retrieved Wheeler's box, surprised that it was undamaged, and probably thinking that it had landed there after Starscream cut their car in half.

After getting more orders, protests, and yells for stopping, Kim finally climbed in the yellow Camaro. Once his precious cargo was securely inside him, Bumblebee drove away with Jazz hot on his tail.

After ambushing the Decepticons, Optimus had successfully freed Sam from Megatron's grasp, but the girl was unable to reach her sister and the others, so the Autobot leader had to fight Megatron on his own, as well as protecting the girl.

Sam stumbled her way out of the industrial complex, with a certain difficulty, as the leaders of the two opposing factions faced off each other; she completely lost sight of her sister and Leo, while she noticed that Starscream, being the good second-in-command he was, let Megatron do most of the fighting. Sam shook those thoughts away. Now it was not the time.

She tore open the small door that led outside, where an already transformed Optimus was waiting for her. After she climbed in his cab, Optimus drove off in the opposite direction his mechs had headed.

In order to save their humans, the Autobots had to split: Optimus drove off to a forest, while Bumblebee and Jazz went in the opposite direction.

Leo threw his hands everywhere, half taken aback from the alieness of not being the one driving the car, half scared to death by the brief encounter that was changing his life forever. He felt his skin burn, as his fear began to warm him up like a fever, as he took in deep breaths that got louder than Bumblebee's engine.

"I don't want to diiiieee!" Leo wailed.

_-__Please,__ attempt to calm yourself down,- _Bumblebee hurried, and the hoarse voice coming from the speakers only succeeded in making the boy scream louder.

**Mute it****, kid!** Jazz's baritone voice echoed through Bumblebee's comm link.

Of course, random voices coming from nowhere didn't do much in the way of calming the boy down. And Kim wasn't much help either. She turned in the seat to look behind them, beyond Jazz's silver form, her eyes widening, as her hot and fast breath brushed Bumblebee's leather seat.

"Bumblebee?" Kim asked coolly, as Leo continued his yelling, but stopped at the coldness in her tone.

_-Yes, Kim?- _even her sister's guardian was concerned by her tone.

"The Decepticons are not following us…"

Silence followed that statement, filled only with the realisation of what that meant. The three of them must have gone after Optimus and Sam!

**Slag!** Jazz cursed over comm link, as they pulled the brakes, and sped in the way they just came from, hoping that it wasn't already too late.

Optimus and Sam made it as far as the nearby forest when Megatron arrived. Seeing the approaching Decepticon, Optimus stopped, and let the girl out of his alt-mode, before transforming, and reading himself for the battle.

"Sam, find a place to hide." His baritone voice warned the girl.

Watering eyes regarded him, as Sam panted heavily. "Optimus…" she started, but was cut off when Megatron demanded his sparring partner.

Sam ducked, trying to get out of the way as Optimus was forced to go one-on-one with the Decepticon leader. Luckily he managed to hold his own… that is, until Starscream and Grindor arrived.

The two had obviously the great idea to pursue Sam, forcing Optimus to both fight Megatron, and protect the girl. Sam turned to see Prime facing off the Decepticon leader, but soon her attention was caught by Starscream and Grindor, who stalked towards her. Sam gulped as they neared her, and continued to back up in fear.

Suddenly, Sam hit a tree with her back, and the two Decepticons smirked evilly, thinking she was now cornered. The curly-haired girl looked behind them, and smiled as she saw Optimus shove Megatron aside and charge at them.

Almost sensing his presence, and looking down at the girl, Starscream and Grindor turned around swiftly. Sam yelled in shock, and tried to run as far as possible from the robots, as Optimus tackled both Decepticons, causing the ground to shake.

As Sam tried to stagger her way among the trees, she could still hear what they were saying over the battle sounds.

"Why are you still fighting me?" Megatron asked in between battle blows. "The girl is the key to find another Energon source. Why can't you understand?!" he sighed mockingly, before punching Optimus' mouthplate, and sending him flying back with a point blank shot.

Optimus struggled to raise on all fours, and he didn't need the error messages before his optics to know that his mouthplate had been shattered. He didn't noticing that he had landed inches away from a frightened Sam, until he opened his clear blue optics. The brunette watched through fearful eyes the red and blue giant taking deep intakes, as he stared back at her with a mix of emotions on his pain-twisted face.

"Is the future of our race not worth a single human life?" Megatron asked, still trying to justify killing Sam.

Optimus observed the scared girl, feeling his spark hurt as he stared at her in the eyes; various emotions crossed those brown orbs: beside her fear, she was pleading him to help her, and he could even see she regretted the way she reacted when he asked her help.

Prime paused. "…You'll never stop at just one." He started to raise to his feet slowly, determination written all over his faceplate. He turned to face his enemies, unsheathing his wrist blades. "I'll take you all on!" With that said, he lunged himself at them, fighting a three-on-one fight against the Decepticons.

Sam paused to watch amused as Optimus Prime did not only managed to hold his own against _three_ Decepticons, but he was even stabbing Megatron multiple times, all the way parrying the other two's attacks!

The girl then decided it was safer to follow the battle from the nearby trees, and made a ran for them. She had to stop though, when Optimus threw Grindor's head few feet from her, after ripping it apart with his wrist blades.

Sam continued to run to the trees, and she'd just hidden behind one of them, when she heard a high pitched voice calling for its arm. She couldn't hide her smirk as she saw that not only did Optimus slice off Starscream's arm, but he rubbed salt on the wound by using it as a club to smack the poor Decepticon around a few times.

However, her smirk didn't last any longer.

Suddenly, a blade emerged from Optimus Prime's chest. The crimson and sapphire leader's back arched as the sword pierced through it, faceplate twisting in pain. It all happened in a matter of seconds, so fast that she didn't even realized it, if it wasn't for the various fluids oozing from Optimus' broken chestplate.

"OPTIMMUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!" Sam screamed in both disbelief and horror, as she watched the giant scream in agony, and fall on his knees.

Sam could only watch as Megatron ripped his blade out of Optimus' chest, and her heart stopped when she saw him worsen his slight with a point blank shot through his injured back, that sent him toppling to the ground. She rushed out from her hiding place, regardless of what would happen next; but the same energy, that made her sprint towards the giant, seemed to be drained out from her, as she collapsed on her knees, sobbing.

As if sensing her presence, Optimus turned his damaged head to give Sam his last azure glance. "Run!" He implored the still-observing girl, his voice barely above a whisper, but still determined.

After he choked out the word, his optics went grey, along with his whole body. Sam didn't need to be told twice. Her eyes laid on Optimus' darkened form a moment longer, before she sprinted away from the Decepticons.

Megatron and Starscream lunged for her again, but multiply shots forced them to stop before they could retrieve the girl. She didn't feel her feet hitting the grass, as she ran towards the Autobots, her mind still locked on what she witnessed, desperately telling herself that it didn't happen.

Sam's relief could not be seen on her face as she was saved by the familiar guns of her friends. Bumblebee arrived with the rest of the Autobots, and was relieved when Sam's hands impacted with his hood. Kim got out immediately to check on her sister, while the others forced Megatron and Starscream to retreat.

The tires skidded, sending dust and gravel flying, as the yellow car came to a halt in front of a frightened human girl. Sam staggered, as Bumblebee's bumper stopped just inches from her knees. She had on her face the 'deer-stuck-in-the-headlights' look, and her chocolate eyes seemed unable to blink.

Kim immediately opened the passenger's door, as she saw that the Decepticons had backed off. "Are you okay?" she hurriedly asked.

Her sister's gaze was still lost into something Kim couldn't see or comprehend, and her heartbeat increased. "Where's Optimus?" Kim asked again, turning her head this way and that to try and locate the giant's presence.

Not seeing Optimus anywhere, Kim turned to her shocked sister, and grasped her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "Sam, what happened?!"

Sam didn't answer. Even after her sister shook her, which brought her eyes again on her, the tall brunette could not make her mouth move, her words seemed stuck in her throat. And after what she witnessed, Sam was afraid to part her lips… fearing what could come out.

In the few agonizing moments in which Sam stayed mute, Kim's mind raced with thoughts of different scenarios that could have traumatize her sister so much, none of them likable.

Finally, after giving Bumblebee and Jazz time to transform, Sam's lips parted difficulty, as if someone had glued them together, almost to prevent her to say what she saw… what she couldn't believe.

"…Gone…"

Kim, whose eyes where on Ratchet to call him if Sam wouldn't speak, locked her brown orbs on her sister's face, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. The hacker scrutinized her sister's face to find a clue, a proof, that what she was saying was wrong, but as she stared at the fear-struck, grieving visage before her, she knew what has been said was the truth.

Kim turned to Ratchet, only to find him gone. Her brain didn't register the moment when the CMO moved; it was like the world had stopped its turning, just when her sister's voice breathed that hoarse, lone, word.

The ground shook briefly, and from the corner of her eyes, Kim could see Bumblebee had fallen on his knees, and was shaking his head, obviously not believing Sam's answer.

Jazz's mouth hung open, as he watched Ratchet walking farther in the woods, and after the other Autobots, who flared out to search the area, still incredulous. It seemed like all the Autobots deliberately ignored the girl, as they all kept trying to contact their leader via comm link, or yelling, demanding for Optimus' presence.

Ratchet followed them, joining in the calling, desperately wanting that what Sam said was wrong… _needing_ that it was wrong.

But he knew he had better not deceiving himself…

Ratchet's trail of thoughts was suddenly interrupted when he heard Sideswipe and Sunstreaker curse colourfully, and then Ironhide's raging, wordless yell. The medic turned in their direction, and his spark skipped a beat.

Ratchet saw them, standing around a blackened form, and immediately he identified it as his leader's. He ran the few steps that separated him from them, and, pushing the twins aside, he kneeled beside the fallen warrior.

The others watched, impotent, as Ratchet knelt over their Prime, running scans after scans, desperately wishing they didn't give him the same result all the time. This could not be happening…

When she heard the twins curse, and Ironhide yell, Kim let go of Sam's shoulders, starting to step closer to Ratchet, deliberating ignoring Jazz's voice, asking her to stop. Her body seemed drawn irresistibly to the fallen leader, like a moth to the flame, as her legs carried her closer and closer to the frame of Optimus Prime; her heart beat faster in her chest, and it ached with each new step she took, just like her lungs burnt with each new breath she inhaled.

Without even realising it, Kim came only few feet away from Ratchet and Optimus, her eyes locked on the latter's still form. The medic acknowledged her presence, and turned, knowing that she would ask that question. But when the brunette looked up at him, Ratchet felt the stoic exterior, that the war had forced him to put up, shatter.

He could see the devastation on the girl's face. Her lips were slightly parted, probably in an attempt to voice the question her brain needed to be answered; her whole body was shaking, her chest heaved irregularly, trying to hold back the pain she was feeling inside. But what shocked the medic was the light in her eyes.

They had always been sparkling with excitement, always widening when they met something new, they had always been gleaming, shining like stars, but now… now they were void. Tears were already forming at the corners, and their usual flare was replaced by a bunch of emotions that threatened to explode: fear of what they were going to do, and hope that what she was seeing was just a nightmare.

Kim parted her lips more to ask something, but she re-closed them immediately, with nothing coming out her mouth except for few louder breaths.

The medic bit his lip component, and locked his blue orbs on the chocolate ones that were asking, praying him not to say what he had to.

The words stuck to his vocalizer as if they were made of plasma. He merely shook his head, unable to speak. A good thing about the humans was that they decoded even body language, and by the expression Ratchet was wearing, Kim knew what was going on.

Kim's slender hands flew to cover her mouth, as a strangled gasp escaped her lips. She took few deep breaths that looked more like hiccups, as her eyes fluttered shut, almost to prevent the tears to spill forth.

But then, as her previous resolution not to cry seemed to melt like snow under the sun, Kim's eyes snapped open, salt water streaming down her slightly dusty cheeks. Her hands fell at her sides, as she let out all her emotions in an agonizing shout, and collapsed on her knees.

"OPTIMUS!!" Kim yelled. Then she let her head hang, as she sobbed, and hiccupped heavily. "Come back." She whispered, closing her eyes, and letting the tears stream down freely. It was no use. He was gone.

Ratchet watched the young girl, with whom he spent the last two years talking about his world, collapse and scream, cradling her head in disbelief. He felt helpless, and did the only comforting thing he could think of. He scooped her up in his hand, and held her to his chest, as she continued to cry, even grasping his bumper, as if to beg him to bring Optimus back. As he felt her tears fall on his chest, and rubbed a finger on the girl's trembling back, Ratchet wished he could work miracles.

While he held the girl tighter, Ratchet heard Ironhide snarl and growl, curse and condemn the Decepticons as he kicked what remained of Grindor's head.

The Arcee triplets huddled close together, helms touching as they quietly mourned the loss of their leader, oblivious to the twins as they cursed in Cybertronian, and punched the nearby trees, or of Jolt, as he moved to rest a gentle hand on the purple Arcee's shoulder.

Jazz stood there, his blue optics sharpening behind his visor, and his fists clenching in anger, as he watched the two younger twins creating an invisible barrier around each other, their shoulders touching in a way that was allowing no one near them.

The first lieutenant watched his charge as she wept, grasping Ratchet's bumper in either comfort, or to try and convince the medic to do something he couldn't. As his covered gaze turned to Sam, he noticed that she too was crying now, leaning on the other boy's shoulder. He tried to comfort her somehow, though it looked like he felt misplaced. Bumblebee knelt over them, his head hidden in his forearm, as he silently voiced his sorrow.

After few minutes echoing with their mourning, the weapons specialist came up behind Ratchet. "I'll inform Will Lennox," he said, his tone harsh like a stone, and sharp like a blade.

Ratchet barely nodded, still trying to calm the small, shaking for in his hand, but also seeking the comfort of touch.

Jazz searched Kim's face, but it was still hidden behind her hair, as the medic continued to rub her back, in an attempt to calm her down. He then exchanged looks with the others, and his fists clenched, as his processor was bombarded with billions of thoughts.

After calling Lennox, Ironhide turned to the SIC. "What now?"

Sam sniffed, parting from Leo, and using the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe her tears away. She looked up expectantly at Jazz, as did the others, minus Kim, who still had her forehead against Ratchet's chest.

Jazz narrowed his optics, shaking his helm to shrug his doubts off. Now everyone was counting on him. Now he had to lead the Autobots. Optimus trusted him so much he made him his second-in-command. Now it was time to show Optimus he had done the right choice.

"A'right!" he exclaimed, startling everyone, and causing them to stare at him.

"Ratchet, Ironhide, Jolt, Twins, and Arcee, you take Optimus' body ta Lennox. He'll know what ta do." He ordered, and the others nodded, some of them imperceptibly, still in shock. Jazz then turned to Bumblebee, and the orange and green twins. "I'll take Bee, the goofy twins, 'n the girls, 'n we hide."

Skids and Mudflap nodded briefly, then looked at Bumblebee, who stood up, a firm and determined expression on his faceplate. He made it clear that they had to go on. That was what Optimus wanted.

"Autobots!" Jazz exclaimed, preparing himself to pronounce Optimus' catch phrase, but felt unable to continue. He still couldn't believe that his leader was gone.

"We're rolling!" the others replied, firmly convinced. They understood Jazz's uneasiness, but wanted to sustain their commander. Optimus may be gone, but that didn't mean that they were going to give up.

Skids and Mudflap transformed, followed by Bumblebee. Leo got inside the yellow car, while Sam took a moment to stare at Optimus and her sister, then met Jazz's visor, and nodded, getting into the yellow Camaro.

Jazz sighed. "Kim?" he tried softly.

Her weeping had stopped when he started to give orders, but she still refused to look at them.

"Kim?" Ratchet asked, still rubbing her back. "It's time,"

Kim raised her head, and wiped her tears away. Her chest still heaved with some hiccups, and she was taking deep breaths, feeling her throat and stomach ache from her weeping.

"C'mon, girl." Jazz held out his clawed hand for her to climb. "We hafta go."

Just when he was about to let her slip onto Jazz's hand, her feebly calling his name made the medic stop.

"Ratchet?"

"Yes?"

Kim swallowed hard the lump that formed in her throat, and licked her dry lips. "There-s no-thing w-we can d-do?"

Ratchet regarded her concerned, as she still tried to convince herself that that didn't happen. His CPU came up with the only word they all needed to hear, the only one their sparks needed to cling onto.

"Hope."

Kim watched him, then nodded a bit, as Jazz took her in his hand, and set her down as he transformed. Kim stared at Optimus for a moment longer, before turning, and getting into Jazz, as he drove off with Bumblebee and the twins.

Jolt, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, and the three components of Arcee transformed upon hearing military helicopters coming towards their position, while Ratchet kept on staring at the four retiring forms that sped away.

Ironhide, who also stayed in robot mode, placed a black hand on the lime green shoulder of the medic. "We'll figure something out, Ratch. Until then, we need to go on with our mission. It's what Optimus would want us to do."

Ratchet vented air through his intakes. "Yes. We must continue the fight, protect the girls and this planet." He stood, moving far more lightly than a robot of his size should, as if his whole body felt heavier.

Yes, they would continue their fight. They would go on with their mission, and keep their promise. They were determined not to give up to the Decepticons. They would find a way to win. They would… for the humans, that would be helpless without them; for their species, who had swore to defend life; for Sam, Kim, and everyone who helped them since they stepped on the planet.

For Optimus.

SSSSSSAAAAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDD!!!

Hope you liked it!!! I tried to make it as emotional as possible…

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	7. Chapter 7: Where do we go from here?

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Hope you like this chappie! Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ps. I know it's Wheelie, but don't worry, I'll explain why I call him Wheeler.

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

*******

**7****- Where do we go from here?**

*Somewhere in New York City, and all over the world*

Several flaming objects landed on Earth, the sparks dancing around them illuminated the sky, as they made their way through the air. At first, it was a beautiful sight, watching mesmerized the shooting stars-like beings that were raining on the planet.

But like many beautiful things, the creatures were as dangerous and lethal as they were wonderful. And the humans understood this too late: when the Decepticons unfolded themselves from the protoforms they used to get on Earth.

As soon as they touched the dusty and muddy ground, the Decepticons, arrived in greater numbers after Optimus' death, launched multiple attacks across the world, killing several thousand people in the process.

Humans watched, astonished and bewildered, the gigantic screens scattered in New York City, as they showed the ugly faceplates of the rejuvenated Fallen. The red optics of the ancient master of all Decepticons narrowed in disgust at the earthlings as he made his announcement, revealing the Transformers' presence on Earth.

Megatron and Starscream flew among the buildings in search for the two girls, after the first berated the latter, despite their temporary victory, hitting him several times with the arm Prime had ripped off (the poor Seeker eventually put his arm back on, after Megatron quit slapping him with it!).

No longer caring to keep their existence a secret, Starscream stood openly atop a skyscraper during The Fallen's ultimatum to the world, watching disdainfully the terrified expressions on the humans' faces.

At the end of his broadcast, The Fallen also revealed that the only means to make them leave was for Sam and Kim Witwicky to be surrendered to him. Their smiling pics appeared on screen, along with Leo's, as the Decepticon demanded the two girls in exchange for Earth's survival.

Fortunately, Bumblebee, Jazz, and the Twins managed to hide with Sam, Kim, and Leo in an abandoned prison where they would be relatively safe, at least for the time being.

Leo watched astonished, as The Fallen made his announcement… or rather, as the ancient Decepticon hijacked Earth's TV broadcast to send his 'ultimatum to Earth' in high quality entertainment.

"No… way…" Leo muttered awestruck.

Sam sighed, as she pushed from the wall she was leaning against to head outside where her sister, and the Autobots were waiting.

"Wait!" Leo called out, jogging after her. "So you knew the aliens all this time!?" he asked once he caught up with her.

"Yes." She replied coolly.

"Y-you knew… this is…!" he found himself speechless, as he pointed to his PDA.

Sam stopped, and grabbed the small device with Leo barely realizing what she was doing, and threw it at the ground, shattering it in the process.

"Hey, what-?" but she cut him off, shrieking a bit.

"Whose side are you on!?" she glared at his shocked expression. "Two armies, one fleshy, one metal, are looking for us! We're fugitives! There's probably a satellite locked on us right now, do you want to help the Decepticons find us sooner!?"

Sam sighed, and resumed her pacing. Leo remained bewildered for a moment longer, then followed the girl, rounding a corner. What he didn't expect were the two bickering twins, arguing just behind the same corner.

He was already jumpy for the new situation he was threw into, and he was still not quite used to see giant sentient robots.

"AAAHHH!" Leo jumped, taking a step back, his hand flying to his heart, as the two twins laughed at his reaction.

"Don't do that!" he breathed out.

"The Goddess of Cyberspace 'n her sis ain't that jumpy!" Mudflap shook his head. "Why do we keep 'im 'round, bro?"

"Dunno," Skids shrugged. "Mabbe he's useful?"

The two twins hummed after that question, exchanging glances that said 'I don't think so', and sent a strange feeling running throughout the boy.

"He saw too much." Mudflap pointed out after a bit, a large finger stroking his chin in thought. "We should just shoot 'im in the butt, then lock 'im in a boot."

"Whose boot?" his brother asked. "Not mine!"

"Hey, hey!" Leo drew their attention on him. "Nobody shoots in nobody's butt, okay?"

They stared at him blankly, as if he said nothing at all, then a creepy smirk crawled its way on their faceplates.

Leo didn't like that look. "Hey! You hear them? Tell them something!!" he begged Sam, as he awkwardly stepped closer to her.

"Kim's the girl who whispers to the giant robots." Sam retorted. "They don't listen to me, anyway." She muttered, walking away.

"I think I'm having a nervous breakdown." Leo sighed, running his hands through his hair.

"Well, that's cuz you're a pussy." Mudflap commented, and the Hispanic boy glared at him.

"They're right, Leo." Sam said, turning slowly to him.

"What?" he glared at her, though it was a mellower stare.

"What you saw was just the beginning. More people are going to die. If you panic like this, you'd better go."

"Hey, I didn't ask for this!" Leo retorted, quite confused, and afraid that Sam wasn't freaking out like he was. What had this girl gone through? Her life was at stake, and she didn't even flinch!

"The Decepticons won't go easy on you just 'cause you 'stumbled' on us. They'll torture you to get information about us all." Sam explained, trying her best to calm down.

"Okay, and what if I turn you over?" he threatened, folding his arms. Sam's total lack of any sign of being scared was becoming a little uncomfortable.

"If you really think that the Decepticons won't destroy the world if you do what they say, then you're a fool." Sam's face was emotionless… or was that a mask to hide her sorrow? "But you're right: this isn't your war. So if you want, go. We won't stop you."

Leo shook his head. They were responsible of what happened to him, and were just ditching him. Why? No, on second thought, what did this girl go through to be so cold? It couldn't be only the important robot's death, could it?

"You know what? I'm outta here!" Leo spat, then turned on his heels and headed away, all the way being teased by the two identical Autobots.

Kim walked towards her sister, Jazz and Bumblebee behind her.

"Why did you let him go?" she asked, startling her sister a bit. The hacker had watched the scene from the 'garden' of the prison. Ever since they arrived, both sisters tried to stay as far away from each other as possible.

"This isn't his war." Sam replied.

"Just like it wasn't yours?" Kim retorted, but she slapped herself mentally when she realized the hidden meaning of her words.

Sam's face hardened, and she closed the distance between them, tension so thick the Autobots felt almost crushed by it.

"Say it." Sam challenged.

"What?" Kim asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Say that all of this is my fault." The curly-haired girl explained, and heard light groans and sighs from the Autobots, but her eyes met none of them.

"Sam, what happened is not _your_ fault." Kim replied without losing a beat. "This was Optimus' choice, and his choice alone. _Megatron_ killed him, not _you_!"

"He wouldn't have, if I listened to him… if I listened to you!" Sam retorted forcefully, desperately.

"You don't know that." Kim's eyes narrowed, then her expression softened. "You only wanted to be normal: don't blame yourself for what happened."

"Then why can't I help feeling responsible for his death?" she demanded.

"Because you don't accept his death," her sister answered, then added in a mellower tone, "…just like me." Her head lowered when she said that, then it raised again, almost defiantly, as she added, "But at least I try to find a way to bring him back!"

Sam resisted the urge to groan. "How? Optimus is dead, and unless you have stigmata on your hands, there's nothing we can do!"

"Nothing!?" Kim sputtered in disbelief. "Have you seen Megatron!? He's hopping happily among the buildings, as if he'd just got out of Energon farm, and not come back from the Pit of God knows which. Damned. Hell!"

Sam sighed, massaging her temples, as her ears still rang from the high pitched shriek her sister let out.

"Hey, nice one!" Mudflap complimented, and Skids nodded, but they both shrunk a bit when the two older bots glared at them.

"What? Does that work just for the bad guy?" Kim asked exasperated.

"This is not one of your stupid novels, Kim. Optimus Prime is dead!"

"Huh, like Megatron?" Kim sounded much more sarcastic than she wished. "If the Decepticons used a fragment of the All Spark to resurrect him, then we can use the shard you found to do the same!"

"Dat won't work, Kim." Jazz piped in.

"How do you know?" Kim turned to Jazz.

_-The fragment you retrieved is too small to revive an offlined spark-_ Bumblebee sadly provided.

Kim sighed frustrated, doing her best to quell the tears that her anger was making form in her eyes. "So what do we do now? We wait here for the Decepticons!?"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Sam shrieked exasperated. "Optimus is gone! Why can't you just stop to catch your breath!?"

"Because if I stop…" Kim's voice, that had been loud till the last word, started to be broken by her hiccups, as she let her tears fall down. She opened and closed her mouths several times before she found again a feeble, quivering sound. "…I realize that he's truly gone… And I can't go on like that." She sniffed, and her chest heaved heavily. "I have to believe in something… no matter how ephemeral that hope is."

That said, she cast her head down, and walked away, hitting her bewildered sister's shoulder with hers as she got back inside the prison.

*******

*United States air base*

After the battle, and The Fallen's announcement the Autobots and NEST arrived at a United States air base, along with Optimus' body. The death of their leader weighed heavily on their slumped shoulders, The Fallen's presence on Earth made that weight even heavier.

The tension was as thick as England's mist, and the dim blue light of the Autobots' optics wasn't enough to see through it, to find a way out of the tunnel.

Unfortunately, the team was scarcely given any time to mourn Prime's passing: the thought that they were no longer welcome crossed their CPUs when, upon arriving at the base, they were surrounded by United States military forces.

The faces of the soldiers aiming their weapons at them held dread, and it was obvious that they had grown fearful of the Autobots' presence, considering it the cause of the Decepticons' increased attacks to Earth.

In other circumstances they would have understood, but now the emotionally brittle Autobots did not take this show of force well, and charged their weapons.

Tension rose even more, as the two lights on Ironhide's cannons started to sparkle eagerly, and Ratchet's saw began to spin dangerously. The three Arcee charged their cannons, as the twins readied their swords and guns, and Jolt began emitting bright sparks of electricity in anticipation of a fight.

"Come on! Say 'hello' to my little friends!" Ironhide growled, threatening the already scared soldiers, who backed away slightly.

The other Autobots caught the tone the weapon specialist used: it was filled with tiredness, exasperation, sorrow, and wrath. Righteous fury against the Decepticons, but not towards the humans, who, although he didn't care right now, were only carrying out their orders.

"'Hide, calm down!" Lennox stopped the enraged black Autobot, putting a hand on his shin, before he lost his temper. He muttered something more only Ironhide was able to pick up, but whatever it was, it convinced him to not turn on the non-NEST soldiers.

Ironhide's faceplates softened a bit, but he still hadn't lowered his weapons, as well as the others. Lennox and Epps tried their best to make the United States military drop their weapons, stating that the Autobots weren't dangerous, and that that was the only way to make them lower their weapons too.

However, things soon calmed down as they discovered that the military forces were under the command of Theodore Galloway.

The director slowly walked up to Lennox, although the military didn't lower their weapons as he walked past them.

"Galloway, what's the meaning of this!?" Lennox asked, trying his best to keep his cool.

"The meaning, Major Lennox," Galloway started, practically spitting his superiority in Lennox's face, "Is that, by presidential order, I'm terminating all NEST activities."

"What!?" Epps asked shocked.

"Why so surprised?" Galloway asked mockingly. "You saw the broadcast and attacks. You said you were able to stop them. But instead, the Decepticons began an all-out war across the Earth, causing a carnage!" his pitch increased, but held an insufferable 'I told you so' tone that was really starting to get on the NEST's nerves.

"I know, they beat us big time, but we need to-" but the Major was interrupted.

"What we _need_ is to come up with a suitable diplomatic solution…" Galloway said.

Lennox snorted humourlessly. "What, like giving up the girls? There's NO negotiating with them!"

"There will be now." Galloway retorted, seeming to trust what the ancient Decepticon said.

Lennox was staring at the director dumbfounded, while Epps shook his head slowly in disbelief. The Autobots had similar reactions, but they also let out small chuckles.

"This fool is terribly misinformed." Ratchet whispered to Ironhide, who nodded.

Either Galloway didn't hear them, or he simply ignored the giant robots (probably the latter, since he still hadn't made eye-contact with them), and turned to Lennox. "Like I said before, from now on I'm shutting all NEST operation down." He then stepped closer to Major Lennox, and ripped off his rank from his uniform. "The _Autobots_ are to return to Diego Garcia under heavy guard, along with Prime's corpse. And you, _Lennox_, will escort them." He somehow managed to put disgust as he talked about the aliens, a particular tone that made Lennox clench his fists.

Galloway turned, dismissed the military, who still stayed on the ready, and walked away to discuss the beginning of a (wo)manhunt for Sam and Kim.

"I hate that man!" Epps commented as he walked back to the Autobots with Lennox, his body posture giving a defeated expression.

"I wish I'd seen Kim telling him off," Ironhide growled, following Galloway with his blue optics.

"So what now?" Jolt asked his older comrades.

"We should leave Earth," Ratchet recommended.

"What!?" Epps asked stunned.

"Why should we remain here? We've already caused enough trouble. I say we should leave." The medic insisted.

"No! We stay and fight!" Sunstreaker argued.

"Yeah, we'll make the Decepti-creeps pay!" Sideswipe added.

"But if we stay and fight, we could harm innocent humans," the blue Arcee pointed out.

"Who cares?" Sunstreaker snorted.

"Optimus did." Ironhide piped in. "He wouldn't want us to abandon the humans."

"They would be defenceless without us," the purple Arcee stated, as the pink one nodded.

"Not to mention that Sam and Kim still need our help," Jolt said.

Ironhide watched all his comrades agreeing, then lowered his gaze to meet Lennox's and Epps's firm ones, and nodded. "Then it's settled. We're going to keep protecting this planet and its inhabitants." He stated, and held out one hand, palm down. "For Optimus."

His grey-metal hand was soon covered by a lime green armoured one, as Ratchet reached in, and laid his hand on Ironhide's. "For Optimus."

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe stepped up, as did the three components of Arcee. "For Optimus." The five of them said, adding their hands.

Lastly, Jolt brought his blue claded hand up to join the pile. "For Optimus."

He said, and the two humans under them grinned, as they exchanged looks. Lennox turned to his men, and saw the same determined expressions on their faces, and his smirk widened. No matter if Galloway shut down NEST, they were still determined not to give up, to the bitter end.

Lennox rubbed his hands together. "Okay, we still have a chance to fight."

"Yeah, but we have to somehow contact the girls." Epps said, as the Autobots' hands parted, and they turned to look at the two humans.

"We will." Lennox nodded, as some soldiers came to escort them, and he made some gestures to signal the Autobots to play along for now. "Right now, let's just stick with them." He said, as they started to load the Autobots into multiple helicopters, along with them and Optimus' body.

*******

*Earth atmosphere*

Soundwave remained in space, tapping into the satellite he had found, and generally coordinating the Decepticon strike. The Communication Officer was orbiting around the planet Earth, floating in a soundless world, only lit by the sparkling stars.

Well, soundless, except for the never ending buzzing in his audio receptors. The constant, annoying, irritating buzzing of millions – _billions!_ – organics chatting, talking about trivialities, completely oblivious to the evil alien entity latched onto their pathetic excuse of a satellite system, hacking and infiltrating their so-called privacy undisturbed.

Honestly, Soundwave had no interest in their conversations whatsoever. But now he had received an order. He had to search for only one thing.

One mobile phone amongst millions.

Soundwave's red optics narrowed pleased, as he found the source of his target originating from Paris. He called the target, whose designation was Judy Witwicky. After a bit more buzzing, the voice of his prey finally answered.

**Hell- oh. Bon… soir?**a feminine voice asked on the other end, uncertain of the proper use of the word.

"Where are the girls?" Soundwave, of course, did not linger with the details. He was searching for the girls, he had orders to carry out.

**Excuse me?**

"Where are the girls?" Soundwave repeated, knowing very well that even though he could register the human clearly, the femme could not hear him properly. He heard commotion on the other end, and some muffled noises, along with a voice that talked about too much money wasted in stupid phone calls.

**Give me that phone, Judy!** More noises, and then a male voice screamed, **We don't have the phone!!**

_Click. Beep, beep, beep…_

"…"

*******

*Paris, France*

Ron and Judy Witwicky were still arguing after the call of the strange man, not noticing the whooshing of an incoming missile until it was too late. Debris and dust from the exploded buildings fell on the crowd. There were many explosions going on all around the city, people started scattering, running for their lives across the streets in fear.

Ron and Judy were able to make it safely to a hallway, but the moment they ran inside it, an enormous construction machine, that was sitting on the other end, started to transform, and grabbed the two petrified humans before they could go away. All they registered was a metallic, cold hand closing around them, and they being swallowed into some dark place, then everything went black…

*******

Night had fallen on the two fleeing humans and their four alien friends, wrapping their temporary shelter with its dark, velvet cover, chilling the already cold air.

A small bonfire burned in the grass. Skids and Mudflap were bickering quietly, standing with their backs to the hacker and her sister's guardian, giving them the illusion of privacy. Sam was no where to be found, probably in the prison, while the downcast Bumblebee sat not far from Kim.

The girl sat on a large brick, her boots on the white toolbox containing the Decepticon drone, who was strangely quite, and she vaguely wondered if he was still online in there.

Sounds of footsteps broke the trail of her thoughts.

"Hey, Energon for yer processor?" She didn't need to turn around to see the concerned expression on Jazz's handsome face.

"Do you think I'm crazy?" Kim asked, staring ahead, still not meeting his visorless gaze.

"Sure. That's why I love ya, girl!" he winked, and sat down next to her.

A small smile pulled briefly at her lips, but disappeared almost immediately when she turned to finally face him. "I'm serious, Jazz."

He sighed. "Ya're not crazy, Kim." He said, one finger stroking gently her back. "And never lose sight of yer hopes 'n dreams!" he said seriously. "…they may be the light that'll lead ya outta the dark…"

Kim raised an eyebrow at his cryptical answer.

He chuckled. "Too sappy?"

"No. Just great." She smirked, then leaned her head on his tight, as he continued to affectionately rub her back.

"I know what we saw…" she whispered after awhile. "…but it just doesn't feel like Optimus's really gone."

"That's because you didn't see him dying."

Kim's head shot up from Jazz's leg, and her eyes widened upon seeing her sister making her way towards her. Kim stood immediately, as did Jazz.

"Sam, I…" but she didn't know how to continue. It was true. She hadn't seen him _dying_… she had only cried before his lifeless body.

Bumblebee stood, and Sam turned slowly to face her guardian.

"Bee, if you hate me I understand." Sam said softly, looking up at the bot. "I messed up. I'm sorry."

The yellow scout jumped up and transformed, gently patting his hood on Sam's legs, making her know that he could never hate her._ -You are the person I care for most in my life, and if there is anything you need, I won't be far away-_ Bumblebee replied, this time using his real voice.

"Thanks, Bee." Sam caressed the hood with her hand, smiling softly, then sighed. "But this is something that we must do alone." She eyed Kim, who regarded her with a puzzled look. "This mess started with me and Kim, and we'll bring it to an end. We'll face the Decepticons alone."

Jazz was about to protest, but Bumblebee beat him.

_-No, y__ou'll never be alone.  
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars.  
Hear my whispers in the dark.  
No, you'll never be alone.  
When darkness comes you know I'm never far.  
Hear my whispers in the dark…-_

"Bee's right, gals. We hafta stick together." Jazz said.

"Yeah! We'll figure something out. We always do." Kim smirked. "That's why Optimus and the Autobots protected us from the Decepticons."

"I'm starting to wonder if that really matters…" Sam shook her head in disbelief, glancing at nothing.

"What?"

"What can we do?"

"Fight!" Kim pressed, then smirked defiantly. "I know it's the end of the world. So what? As long as we're still here, we still have a chance."

_-What can't we face if we're together?  
What's in this place that we can't weather?  
Apocalypse? We've been in there.-_ Bumblebee's radio played happily, and the twins high-fived each other.

"Kim's right." Jazz cut in. "None of us gave up, dat means dat we're all still fightin'." He glanced down at Kim, who finished his sentence.

"…That we're still friends." Kim locked her eyes on Sam's. She sighed a bit, and Kim's expression turned into a plea. "Look, I don't want your approval, but only your support."

Sam sighed, and lowered her head in thought; soon after, she finally raised her eyes a bit. The curly-haired girl caught her sister by surprise with a hug, that brought to mind the image of a drowning man clutching a thrown rope for dear life. Kim was taken aback, but then hugged Sam back.

"Awww!" the twins cooed teasingly.

"Hey, quit it, twins!" Jazz scolded them, though his smirk gave it away.

"Thank you-" Sam started, as she pulled apart, but her sister's voice stopped her.

Kim froze on the spot as if she had just realized something. "Twins." she muttered.

"What?" Sam enquired.

"How could I be that stupid!?" Kim smacked her forehead pretty hard, and flinched a bit.

"I'm wondering that since we were born," Sam joked.

But she ignored her, as it seemed that she was possessed by the demon of realisation. "Sam, you and I are twins!" she said as if that was the discovery of the century.

"And… you just realized it now?" Sam looked awkwardly from left to right.

"No! I mean… we… them… the All Spark!" she gesticulated between herself, Sam and the Autobots gathered around them, making it unsure who she was referring to.

"Kim, it's already hard to understand Bee when he speaks like that, you have a functioning voice. Use it!"

Kim groaned. "Twins! Come here!" she bellowed, and started to strip.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Sam asked feeling slightly uneasy, as her sister removed her jacket and sweatshirt, remaining only in her black tank-top.

"Wait, don't stop her." Skids commented, as he and his brother watched her slender frame graced by Cyberglyphics.

The orange and green twins yelped as Jazz and Bumblebee slapped the back of their helms, all the way muttering, "Perverts!"

"Remember when the bug couldn't read your brain, and he said he needed to examine it?" Kim asked, turning to Sam, shivering a bit in the night air.

"I was trying to forget…" Sam muttered.

"What if he couldn't read the map, because it was… incomplete?" she clapped her hands together, then when she said 'incomplete', she split them to put more emphasis in her crazy theory.

They all stared at her blankly. Jazz was the first to recover. "Now ya even lost me, babe." He said, looking down at her.

"When I once asked Ratchet about the twins, he said that they are a result of an original Spark, that split into two separate sparks with an incredibly close bond." Kim started to explain.

"Ookaayy, I'm following." Sam said.

"We know that the All Spark is a sentient being in a sense, right?" Kim paused to see if they were still following her, and, after receiving nods, she continued. "Then, what if it sensed, felt that we are twins and in a last attempt to protect itself split the map between us?" she waited a bit, giving them time to digest what she said.

"Maybe…" Sam started, "Maybe you're right. When I touched the shard, it must have treated us like Cybertronian twins."

"Dat makes sense." Jazz nodded. "Dat explains why ya dropped yer PDA when yer sis touched da fragmant."

Kim took Sam's arm, and folded the sleeve, letting everyone see the inscriptions carved on her skin as well. She then outstretched her arm parallel to hers, and turned to Skids and Mudflap.

"Can you read this?" Kim asked, glancing at the twins.

"Read? Unh, uh." Skids shook his head.

"We don't." Mudflap added. "We don't really do much reading." He smiled sheepishly.

Kim stared at them blankly. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Well, at least, you must know someone who does." Sam reasoned.

"I do." Surprisingly, the voice came from a returning Leo, as he walked back towards the two girls.

"Aww, lookie here!" Mudflap started, but Kim shushed him, as she put her clothes back on.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked. "I wasn't kidding before."

"I know." Leo nodded.

"Then why are you here?" Sam enquired. "You don't have to."

"I don't have to, but I want to." Leo replied, smiling.

"Tzk, two Energon cubes that he freaks out again," Skids said, and Mudflap accepted, shaking his twin's hand.

Jazz and Bumblebee sighed, while Kim ignored the twins, and stepped closer to Leo, gaining his attention. "You said you know who can help us, right?" the boy nodded. "Who?" the hacker asked, a bit frustrated by his previous lack of proper answer.

"Robo-Warrior."

*******

Dun dun dun!!!

Hope you liked it!!!

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	8. Chapter 8:Old friends and older allies

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Hope you like this chappie! Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

*******

**8****- Old friends and older allies**

*New York City*

Under the warm sun and a beautiful blue sky, a yellow Chevrolet Camaro parked alongside the street. It was followed suit by a silver Pontiac Solstice, an orange Chevy Trax and a green Chevy Beat.

The yellow door opened, revealing a tall girl with curly brown hair fastened in a high ponytail under a black baseball hat. Sam was wearing a black leather jacket, and, underneath it, a green halter top with glittering blue butterflies was visible; she also had black Capri pants, and black combat boots.

From the passenger's side door, a Hispanic boy got out of the car. Leo was wearing blue jeans, with black Allstars, a white t-shirt over them, a gray hoodie and a jean jacket. His head was covered by the hood, and he first turned to look at Sam, then at the girl, who got off the silver sports car, and was making her way towards them.

Kim was wrapped in fitting white jeans, with heelless brown boots over them; she also had a brown belt on the jeans, and an orange tank top with a small ribbon under her breast. To top her 'fugitive look' off, she was wearing a white leather jacket, and her straight brown locks were peeking from under a brown hat.

The twins looked around them, then at the place where Leo took them. Fortunately for them, the Autobots' holograms went shopping, providing new outfits for the three humans, that would not attract attention… but as Kim said, you can be a fugitive, but a fugitive with style! Jazz obviously agreed, and here they were: ogled by the boys who passed by, and doubtful about what Leo said.

"You're sure this is the right place?" Sam asked, eyeing suspiciously the deli.

"Positive." Leo said, walking around Bumblebee to the door of the deli. "Stay here, and wait for my signal." He told the twins, and headed inside after the girls nodded.

Kim walked to where Sam was leaning on Bumblebee's side. She leaned as well on her sister's guardian, and looked at many people passing by.

"Sorry," Sam murmured after a bit.

"You don't really mean it." Kim shrugged.

Sam sighed. "I mean, I'm sorry for taking my anger out on you… back at the prison." Kim just looked at her sister, smiling sideways. "I… I still think there's nothing we can do… It's too hard for me to hope." She lowered her head.

"Then I guess…" Kim smiled, "…I'll just have to have enough hope for the both of us."

Though Sam's countenance still betrayed her extreme pessimism, a smile stole over her face.

Just as they finished talking, Leo called for them to enter. When the Witwicky sisters walked through the door, their faces fell, visibly shocked at whom they were dealing with.

"You gotta be kidding me…" Sam muttered, upon seeing that 'Robo-Warrior', the one they were looking for, the only one able to help them… was none other than Agent Simmons!

"YOU!" Simmons's expression mirrored the sisters', as something different than shock was displaying on his face.

"You…" Leo started, taken aback by the fact that they already seemed to know his 'nemesis'. "…You know each other?"

"Unfortunately…" Sam trailed off, glaring at Simmons, only to receive the same stare back.

"What are you doing here?" Kim asked, not really wanting to know if he was really selling meat, but she wanted to know how the 'all-mighty leader' of Sector 7 ended up selling meat.

"What do you think!?" he snapped. "Sector 7 was shut down, and I lost my job, after you defeated N.B.E. 01." He spat, while taking his anger out on an innocent piece of meat. "By the way, good job." He continued, ironically.

Before one of the sisters could reply, an old woman came out of another nearby room. "Seymour! Is that meat ready?" she enquired.

What made them almost fall in a fit of hysterical laugher was the fact that she looked a lot like a certain woman they knew very well, and that had always told them not to play with circuitries, in Kim's case, or with cars, in Sam's; of course she was always ignored.

"Ready." Simmons said, handing the woman a pack with fresh cut meat.

Sam was at a loss of words, much because she was trying to quell her giggles. "You still live with your mother!?"

"NO! She lives with me!" Simmons snapped back.

"Sure…" Kim patronized him. "That's why the door reads Tova Simmons' Jewish deli." She deadpanned, earning a glare and few snickering.

"Hey, c'mon!" Leo tried to make the sisters reason. "We need his help, remember?"

"Why should I help _you_? You ruined my life… and my nose!" He pointed to his nose, that was exactly as it was before Sam punched it, but Simmons will be Simmons…

Sam snorted annoyed. "Look, asking for your help is the last thing I want to do, but the fact that we're actually here should tell you how desperate we really are…"

Simmons snorted.

"On second thought, we're not _that_ desperate." Sam said, and headed for the door, but her sister gripped her arm, making her stop.

"We're more than _that desperate_." She whispered, and turned to Simmons. "Look, Simmons, I know we disagreed in the past…"

He snorted loudly.

"Okay, we hated each other, but the fact is;" she came closer to the counter he was working behind, and lowered her voice a bit, "We have four Autobots willing to settle the score with you, we're on the run from human military and Decepticons alike, and, worst of all, 'you're our only hope'!"

"Okay, your total is 52.43," Simmons smiled handing the meat to the old woman on the other side of the counter.

"Are you listening!?" Kim raised her voice. "The Decepticons will tear this place apart when they know we've been here!"

"He's not interested," Sam said matter-of-factly. "Let's leave him here." She said, and walked to the door.

"What?" Leo asked, but was dragged away by the curly-haired girl.

"Yeah, you're right. After all, why should he help us?" the tone she used got Simmons's attention, and he followed the short girl with his eyes. "It's not like that's the only way for him to go back to be who he was before and become Earth's saviour."

As Kim's hand reached for the door's handle, Simmons stopped her, placing his hand on the white wood door. "You think reverse psychology is going to work?"

"Is it?" Kim raised an eyebrow hopefully.

"Perfectly." He declared, then turned to his clients. "Sorry, we're closed!" he dismissed them in spite of their ranting, and closed his shop, then led them in the meat locker to show them something top secret.

*******

"What you are about to see is top secret." Simmons started as he opened a hidden stairway in the cold storage room. Kim rolled her eyes, and Sam shook her head at how much annoying was becoming to get that line.

"We're wanted, who do you think we can talk to without getting caught!?" Sam asked exasperated.

"I don't care." Simmons retorted. "Just don't tell my mother!" he added, almost pleadingly, and the three of them had to hold back their snickering.

The stairway led to a room filled with classified files: many of them were piled on the tables, already yellow for the long time they were there, or generally scattered on the floor, or on the many shelves that surrounded the room. Simmons's collection of secret files also sported Frenzy's head, protected from the dust by the glass of a jar.

"Don't touch that! It might still be radioactive!" Simmons yelled, slapping Leo's hand, as the boy tried to touch the head.

The girls turned this way and that, looking startled at the many papers that were inside that room.

"So, the symbols you see… are like these?" Simmons asked them, showing them some papers with the Cyberglyphics Sam and Kim were hallucinating about.

"Yes!" Sam exclaimed, practically tearing the papers from Simmons's hands.

"Where did you find them?" Kim asked.

"I took those files before Sector 7 closed its doors. As for the symbols, archaeologists found them all over the globe." He paused. "The Transformers were on Earth… a long time ago."

"Did you know it?" Sam asked Kim.

"No." She shook her head.

"I tried to ask Sector 7 to investigate evidence of other Transformers lying inert on Earth, but do you know how they answered?" Of course they didn't know, and Simmons didn't wait for them to answer. "Sector 7 denied me permission! They said it was just a maniacal obsession. _Maniacal_!" he exclaimed indignantly, his right eye twitched.

"I can't blame them…" Sam muttered.

"However, I don't know how to read the symbols," Simmons explained. "We may need a Decepticon, but…"

"A Decepticon?" Kim's attention quirked.

"Yeah, a bit difficult, right?" he shrugged.

"Why is that? We have at least an army of them looking for us." Sam said sarcastically. "Although I don't think they'll be much cooperative."

Kim smirked broadly. "Then let's find a Decepticon who's cooperative…" she trailed off, as everyone stared confused at her. She excused herself for a minute, and sprinted out of the room, only to reappear moments later with a white toolbox in hand.

They still stared at her grinning face rather blankly, until she opened the box, letting out the small, and quite pissed off, drone. Just as soon as she did that, the robot tried to escape, but Kim held him with a chain. He struggled and cursed under the startled and bewildered stares of the other humans.

"What are you looking at, Slobberpuss?" the small Decepticon snarled in Simmons's face.

"I spent my whole life looking for NBEs, and you've got one on your leash like a Chihuahua…!" Simmons commented dumbfounded, as he watched the small creature struggle and protest for his release.

"Sam always tells me I carry too much things with me…" Kim shrugged, savouring with an almost morbid pleasure the fact that she had bested the ex-Sector 7 agent again.

"And you had a Decepticon with us the whole time!?" Leo asked stunned.

"Well, at least I didn't kiss him!" Kim eyed her sister.

"Are you going to let me off the hook of that?" Sam asked exasperated. "How many times do I have to tell you that it wasn't a pleasant experience!?"

"Well, it didn't look like you were putting up much of a fight!" Kim replied, as Wheeler stopped his struggling to enjoy the scene of the two arguing sisters.

"How could I? It was like having a woolly mammoth sitting on you, and he also smelled like… like diesel oil! The toxic type!!" Sam stammered, irritated. "And by the way, how did you manage to get that Decepticon?" she pointed at the drone, trying to change the subject.

"When we met, sparks flew!" Kim beamed.

"Yeah… they flew from my melted optic, you bitch!" Wheeler muttered, and his last statement caused him to be dragged roughly towards the hacker, who pulled the chain.

"If you don't want your other optic to be melt as well," Kim snarled, narrowing her eyes, "Please, do explain these symbols." She gave him a grin, exposing her teeth menacingly.

The small scrap drone gulped loudly, as the other humans took a cautious step back from his torturer; the slightly disturbed looks on their faces told him that the girl was new to torture, and that it wasn't a good idea to push her now that nobody knew where she would go. "When asked so gently…" he smiled sideways, all sarcasm intended.

Crawling on the table with the many photographs, the small Decepticon identified several of the machines in the pictures as Seekers.

"Who or what are 'Seekers'?" Sam asked.

"Ancient Transformers, who'd come to Earth ages ago searching for something." He said, marvelling at how old the robots in Simmons's photographs indeed were.

"And the symbols?" Sam inquired.

"Ah, that's the Language of the Primes." Wheeler provided. "We should track down one of the ancient Seekers: they're the only ones who can read this kinda stuff. And luckily for you…" He smirked, handing up a picture so that they could see the machine in it. "One of them is nearby…"

*******

*Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC*

Under the small Decepticon drone's instructions, Kim, Sam, Simmons, Leo, Bumblebee, Jazz, Skids and Mudflap arrived outside the Smithsonian Institute.

"Okay, so let me get this straight: a Transformer had fallen asleep long time ago, and was carried in there with no one noticing?" Kim wondered aloud.

"Great!" Leo said sarcastically. "With two worlds searching for us, being registered by the cameras of a museum is exactly what we need."

"So what's the plan?" Sam turned to Simmons.

He snorted and started to strip down, much to their discomfort.

"Uh… I know that seeing us brings back old memories," Kim was referring to that time when her sister ordered Simmons to remove all his clothes. "But you don't have to make us re-live them!" She pleaded, trying to understand why Simmons was stripping down, and at the same time not wanting to know.

Simmons plainly ignored them, and when he was about to remove his pants, Kim and Sam hid behind a shocked Leo, who let out a small squeak.

"Can you please come up with a plan that does not involve mental images that would lead our brains to fry, and our eyes to burn?" Sam asked from behind Leo.

"My plan is quite simple." Simmons started, now only in his… _underwear, _for lack of a better word.

"Ugh! This is even worse than when Sam hit on Barricade…" Kim muttered, shutting her eyes close, and grasping Leo's jacket for dear life.

"I was not!" Sam protested, looking at her, but shielding her vision of Simmons with her left hand.

Kim grinned, and reopened the eye that was facing her sister. "You were all over him… literally!"

Before Sam could reply, Simmons interrupted her. "Stop bickering you two!" he scolded, then pointed a finger at Leo. "And you! You're gonna help me. Move, boy!"

"Uh… h-help y-ou!?" Leo stammered, looking at both sisters, as they still hid behind him, and then at Simmons, who, growing frustrated by his reluctance, took him by his shirt's collar, leaving the girls uncovered.

Sam and Kim squeaked, and clang onto each other. Simmons ignored them again, along with the fact that even the small robot was hiding behind Kim's boots, looking a bit grossed out.

"Look, kid. I know we crossed swords on the Internet more than once, but since you were so magnanimous to extend the olive branch, I'll give you a central role in my plan." Simmons said slinging his arm around a disturbed Leo's shoulders.

After what seemed like hours, the former Sector 7 agent hatched his plan to get past security: his so elaborated plan essentially involved him and Leo tasering the guards. Simmons was successful in taking down one of the guards, and quickly wearing his uniform, thus explaining why he stripped down. Surprisingly, even Leo managed to take out several of them.

Simmons complimented the boy briefly, before they dragged the unconscious guards in the restroom. Unfortunately, as another guard entered the room after hearing noises, Leo's 'ninja-like moves' brought him to apply his taser to himself too… in the gonads.

Simmons groaned, after taking down the last guard. He sighed, and grabbed the fainted boy's ankles, dragging him to where Sam and Kim were waiting with Wheeler.

After giving Leo time to collect himself, and Simmons to take one of his weird gizmos out, Kim handed the All Spark shard to Sam, who took it with small pliers, to avoid another unwanted contact with the fragment. The group started to follow the lead of the pick-up toy.

"Follow him! He knows where he's going!" Kim stated, running after a transformed Wheeler, the others trailing behind them.

Simmons's machine, which was much like the one he scanned them with the first time they met, had detected Energon radiation. They followed the crackling device and the Decepticon drone, until they both pointed at a black SR-71 Blackbird.

"Wow, this guy's a living legend!" Wheeler mused as he transformed.

"Alright, what now?" Sam asked, crouching down.

"Point the fragment, and let it work its magic!" The small drone said, gesticulating for more emphasis, and Sam did as she was told, handing up the All Spark fragment with the pliers, just as it started to shake and tremble.

The others watched astonished and fascinated, as the small shard kept on shaking furiously, and was practically dragged by an invisible force towards the dormant creature.

"Wings are usual on Decepticons, are they not?" Simmons whispered from behind Kim, who frowned. Actually, Ratchet had once told her that it was a rare case that an Autobot could fly…

Just as the All Spark shard hit the jet, sending a powerful wave of crackling static all over its frame, Kim neared the machine, trying to find the symbol that would state which side it was on.

Unfortunately for them… it had the Decepticon insignia!

"It's a Decepticon!" Kim screamed alarmed, backing away from the awakening jet.

"Decepticon…?" Simmons muttered, both in shock and disbelief.

"RUN!" Sam yelled, and the humans scrambled for cover, as the surge of energy awoke the slumbered creature.

The jet had obviously some problem with its own transformation; maybe because it had to be in that sort of state for several years. Its movement were slow and difficult, calculated as if it was painful doing them… for some odd reason, the newly transformed robot reminded them of an old man who had to stand from his comfortable chair.

"Behold, the eternal glory of Jetfire!" the jet screamed in an old and grouchy voice, as his now transformed hands hit the cockpit that rested on his head, as to awake the rusty gears that should have moved that piece faster.

"Mission! My mission…!" the jet roared, stretching his arms, and taking few steps forward, careless of the various flying machines his movements damaged or knocked from their hanging position.

"What was my mission?" Jetfire paused, taking in his new surroundings and looking quite confused. "What is this hideous mausoleum!?"

"This guy did NOT age well." Wheeler muttered, squishing on Kim's knees, as the four humans were backed up against the wall.

Deciding that heading outside would get him better handle on where he was, the cantankerous old robot paused in front of the big doors, ordering them to open, and let him out. After his attempts at overriding the doors failed, Jetfire just banged his head on them, smashing them aside.

The humans, getting over their initial shock, and avoiding the flying machines that the Transformer knocked down, followed the old robot outside, trying to hold back their laughers as they saw him wandering about the old planes scattered in the desert, damaging a few, while he interrogated them.

Confused, disoriented, and even grumpy both by the fact that no one was answering him, and because of the 'itchy wretched rust in his aft', the robot turned to the humans approaching him. "Fleshlings, approach or suffer my wrath!"

As usual, Kim was the first to approach the giant. "Kim! What are you doing!?" Sam asked hurriedly.

"It could be dangerous! Come back!" Leo echoed.

"No, wait…" Kim waved for them to calm down, as she saw the old robot suddenly stumble, and lean on a cane.

"Ohhh… my achin' servo-joints!" Jetfire muttered, rubbing his hip-joint with his free hand.

"…I think this one's past his… uh… prime." Kim commented, taking in the robot's shape.

He was tall, well, taller than them of course, but Kim believed that he was even taller then the other Autobots, like Ratchet and Ironhide. He was bulky, and even looked a bit pointy with the way the pieces of the aircraft stuck out of his back and face. It looked like he was hunchbacked, but that could either depend on his old age, or the posture his bird-like legs forced him to… legs, which were much like Starscream's. And speaking of Decepticons, certainly his red optics, along with the beard-like plates on his face gave the ancient robot a bit of a menacing look.

"Careful…" Simmons warned the hacker, as she unconsciously got closer to the robot observing her.

"Relax, Agent Simmons. I don't think he's gonna harm us." Kim said, briefly turning to them, then to the robot. "Uh… Hi! You got a name?" she beamed.

"Name? NAME?" the old robot quipped, scratching his head, then nodded. "'Course I got a name! It's… um… Jetfire. That's it, Jetfire!" he nodded convinced to Kim, who hold back a chuckle.

"I'm Kim." She pointed to herself, then to her human friends. "This is my sister, Sam. Those are our friends, Simmons, and Leo." She said, then pointed to the four approaching cars, that stopped a reasonable distance away, not wanting to scare the newly awaken bot. "And those are the Autobots: Jazz, Bumblebee, Skids and Mudflap." Kim pointed to them respectively, as they transformed.

"What planet am I on?" Jetfire asked, after taking a bit for the information to sink in.

Kim looked at him confused. "You… don't remember where you are?"

Jetfire smiled under his beard-like plates, the same smile an old man would give a young one when he's asked about something concerning his old age. "Reach a certain mileage, little lady, the hardware gets a little looser, know what I mean?"

She chuckled and nodded, while he asked again. "So, what planet am I on?"

"Earth." Sam spoke up, taking a brave step forward.

"Earth?" Jetfire repeated, a bit disgusted too. "Terrible name for a planet. Might as well call it 'Dirt'. Planet Dirt!" He nodded, deciding to rename their planet, then lowered his head a bit to be more eye-level with Sam. "Say, is that pointless civil war still going on? Who's winning?"

Sam gave a sad expression. "Decepticons."

"Decepticons…" Jetfire nodded understandingly. "Bunch of heathens! That's why I defected to the Autobots!"

"You defected? You can do that?" Sam asked dumbfounded, eyeing her sister, who was surprised as well.

"It's a choice, it's an intensely personal decision," Jetfire said solemnly, leaning on his cane. "By the way, who wants to live a life full of hate, all the negativity." He shook his head, probably remembering something happened in his long life.

This speech sparkled the small Decepticon's curiosity, who crawled closer to Kim, and hugged her leg. "I want to change sides too! I worship The Goddess of Cyberspace!" he declared as he kissed Kim's boots.

He was immediately lifted in the air, and brought almost face-to-face with the hacker. "Easy, now. You can join us…" she smiled, and then frowned, "…as long as you stop drooling all over my boots!"

Wheeler's faceplate illuminated with joy, and he jumped into her outstretched hands, and cuddled himself to her chest, purring happily, completely regardless of the stares the other humans, and Autobots were giving him.

Sam raised an eyebrow. "You can't deny you're the girl who whispers to the giant robots."

Kim shrugged. "I know we got off with the wrong foot, uh… by the way, I still don't know your name."

"Soundwave calls me Wheeler." The small drone looked up at her.

"Wheeler? That's your name as a Decepticon… how about… Wheelie? Wheelie is fine, isn't it?" Kim asked, smiling.

"You can call me whatever you want!" Wheelie commented, nuzzling against Kim's shoulder.

"You want to keep… him!?" Sam shrieked.

"I know Wheelie seems to have a bit of a 'mouth', but he's not really a bad sort." Kim said, while stroking Wheelie's head. "Aw, nothing that a loving home and a little strict discipline can't handle!"

"Need discipline!" Wheelie happily stated, holding tighter onto her.

"A'right!" Jazz stated, coming a bit closer to them, "Knock it off, a'ready!"

"You wish…" The words were hissed in a low frequency, as Wheelie looked up at him, his small arms not letting go of Kim's neck. **…to be here! **Of course, that message was sent _only_ to Jazz, and caused the Autobot to narrow his optics dryly.

Sam groaned. "Hey, would you stop it already!? We still have probl-"

At that point, a still confused Jetfire pounded the ground with his cane. "You have problems!?" he shouted. "You don't have problems until you have a lot of issues with my mother!" he stated.

The humans stared at each other, and Leo twirled a finger in the air by his head. They fought back a smile, as the SR-71 Blackbird went on.

"You know what my father was?" he asked, coming even closer to them. "A wheel! The first wheel! And you know what he transformed into?" he obviously didn't wait for an answer (not even for them to wonder how a wheel could have fathered a plane…) "NOTHING! But he did so with honour! Dignity!" he emphasized his point by pounding the ground again, causing a parachute stored in him to suddenly pop open, bringing him down on his aft.

Just as he fell, the quake his enormous weight caused dragged the humans on the ground along with him.

"Alright! I've had enough!" Sam stated, as she stood up, and approached the ex-Decepticon, who was lamenting the fact of having rust in places he didn't even know he had.

"Hey, look, maybe we can help each other out, what do you say?" she asked.

"Help?" Jetfire looked at her, as he staggered on his feet again. No one had ever offered him help… At least he thought. But there was that nagging feeling he'd forgotten something important. Anyway, who knows? Maybe the fleshlings could really help him as they stated. "Okay," he gingerly replied, nodding slowly, and marvelling that the two females were smiling at him.

"We're seeing symbols…" Sam then started to explain what was going on, digging into the ground with Kim's help to show the symbols to Jetfire. Sam and Kim told the old bot everything, from touching the All Spark shard, to Megatron and The Fallen.

"Ah, The Fallen…" Jetfire murmured, that name surely rang a bell in his memory bank. "The original Decepticon. The one that had left me on Earth to rust!" he stomped one foot on the ground in anger, causing the humans to fall once again.

"And the Cybertronian symbols?" Sam asked, standing up.

"It's the Language of the Primes, right?" Kim asked, pointing at the symbols they carved.

"The symbols…" Jetfire pondered aloud, as if to remember something. "They were a part of my mission!" he exclaimed, then stepped closer to the humans, his arms spread at each side of him.

"What do you mean?" Kim asked, then her eyes widened as a blue light started to appear in Jetfire's hands.

"What are doing!?" Sam and Leo gasped at the same time, as the light started to engulfed them all.

"Hang on!" was what they heard from the jet, before the light turned into lightings and started to zip all around them, engulfing and swallowing the four humans, along with the five Autobots and the old robot. The lightings lasted few seconds, whipping the earth surrounding them with their immense power, and when they disappeared… none of the beings present was in sight.

*******

I love Grampa Blackbird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you liked it!!! So that's why I called Wheelie Wheeler!

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	9. Chapter 9: Riddles

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** I know it's a bit late, anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the longer wait! Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

*******

**9****- Riddles**

*Egypt*

The sun was fully illuminating a sandy landscape with its bright rays falling on the desert. The dry nature was silent under the blue sky, and all about that place said peace and quiet.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

The peace and quiet of the desert was suddenly interrupted when a lightning hit the ground, causing the election of a thick blanket of dust. A split second later, Jetfire bounced out of the debris, screeching and startling any sign of wildlife nearby, and landed unceremoniously few feet away.

Many other lightning appeared, each one carrying the Blackbird's new friends.

Jazz was the first to emerge from the lights, falling on his back on the sand, soon followed by Bumblebee, and then by Sam and Simmons. The yellow scout acted really quickly as he shot up from his laying position on the ground, and caught both humans, who didn't stop their screaming even when they were securely set on the Autobot's chest.

Next ones to fly out of the Space Bridge were the twins, followed suit by Kim, Leo and, lastly, Wheelie, who let out a low groan as he stopped his fall on a rather hard rock…

"I believe I can flyyyy-Agh!" Mudflap sang, as he and his brother were suspended in mid-air, but the sudden collision with the ground cut him off – to everyone's relief!

It took Jazz's systems a few seconds to reboot after the fall, and his sensors alerted him immediately of the (rather nice) weight on his chassis. His azure gaze landed immediately on Kim, who stated to stir. Once the girl regained enough strength to raise on all fours, she shook her head to clear it, and glanced at where she had landed on, smiling inwardly at the grinning faceplate before her.

"Oww, not the softest landin'…" he started with a smirk. "But the most beautiful sight ta behold once awake!" Jazz winked, and Kim blushed.

"Eww! Speak fer yerself!" Mudflap's voice was heard complaining from somewhere not far on their left.

The orange Autobot was sprawled on his green twin, their backs pressed onto each other, and on top of them Leo had made his not-so-graceful landing.

"The feeling's mutual!" Leo glared at the twin, once his mind returned to the here and now.

Skids eyed the couple of saboteurs next to them, and frowned at the smirking Jazz. "Lucky shit!" he muttered.

"Oww, my nuts and bolts!" Wheelie muttered, once he made his way to the re-gathering group. Being so small, it took him more time to come back to his 'Goddess'. Kim scooped him up in her arms, and glanced at Sam to make sure she was okay, before her mind was completely distracted by Simmons's ranting voice.

"Hey, old rusty bucket! What were you thinking?! You could have killed us all!" The former S7 agent blurted to Jetfire, who was limping his way towards them.

"Oh, shut it! Be thankful that I'd managed to stay on the planet!" Jetfire spat back, crouching to be more eye-level with Simmons. "I told you I was going to open a Space Bridge."

"What? When?" Simmons asked, as he climbed on a rock to avoid craning his head too much.

"You never told us that!!" Sam yelled, as she climbed on the same rock, Bumblebee coming up behind her.

"I did now!" Jetfire merely shook his head. "Anyway, now we're here." He said matter-of-factly.

"But where's here?" Leo asked, looking around.

_-Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.-_ Bumblebee's radio played a line from the film 'The Wizard of Oz', causing Sam to glare at him; the yellow Autobot scratched the back of his helm, and managed a sheepish smile. _-My GPS tells me that we are somewhere in Egypt.-_ he provided.

Sam started. "Egypt?!"

Leo's mouth hung agape, while Kim regained some of her composure, and turned to Jetfire. "Why are we here, Jetfire?" Though she felt an anime-style sweatdrop appearing on her head as she saw the old Decepticon-turned-Autobot pacing nervously, and ranting on and on without an end, cursing and cussing in a heated argument with himself.

"…Abandoned on a foreign planet! Forced to go into stasis lock out of a lack of Energon! Slowly falling apart, and dyyyying…! Damn you, The Fallen!" Jetfire blurted.

"Hey! Let's not get episodic, okay, old timer?" Simmons said, bringing the attention on him. "Beginning. Middle. End. Facts. Details. Condense. Plot. Tell it." He demanded a more coherent exposition from the old jet, gesticulating to get his point across.

Jetfire leaned on his cane, a solemn expression on his faceplate, as he began his story, telling them about the Dynasty of Primes, The Fallen, and Cybertron's first contact with Earth.

"Thousands of years ago, the Transformers arrived on this planet on an exploratory mission under their original leaders: the 'Seven Primes'." He explained. "Those ancient beings reached this solar system in their quest to build a Solar Harvester that would replenish the All Spark Cube's Energon, which had been severely drained after a millennia of feeding energy to Cybertron and its inhabitants."

"A Solar Harvester?" Sam asked.

"It is a device which can create Energon by destroying suns." Jetfire provided.

"Energon?" Leo whispered to Kim, a puzzled look on his face.

She turned, raising an eyebrow at him, before remembering that he had just had his first contact with the Transformers, and mouthed a simple, "Robotic food."

Leo's mouth curled into an understanding 'oh', before turning to the jet, who continued on.

"However, the Primes soon discovered that the chosen system contained a life-bearing world. The Primes had a single rule: never destroy a star with a living bearing world. So six of them objected to use the harvester on the system's sun. The seventh, however, insisted on using the harvester anyway, upon weighing the longevity of his planet and his race against a seemingly meaningless organic world."

"Let me guess," Sam interrupted the ancient jet. "He attacked and killed whoever tried to defy him, and was forever known as 'The Fallen'?" She inquired.

"Precisely," Jetfire nodded.

"How did you know?" Simmons asked, taken aback.

"Wasn't it obvious?!" Sam raised an eyebrow.

"If I may continue…" Jetfire narrowed his red optics at them.

The humans nodded, after smiling sheepishly.

"The Primes were unable to defeat their brother, so they mounted an attack on their new nemesis, and stole the Matrix of Leadership, giving their lives to seal it in a tomb made of their own bodies, thus using the last of their energy left from the epic battle."

"The Matrix of Leadership?" Kim asked.

"It is the needed key to activate the harvester," Jetfire provided again. "Only a Prime can kill The Fallen…"

"Optimus." Sam whispered.

"A Prime?" Jetfire turned to her, and crouch down, his beard-like pieces scraping the ground as he spoke. "A living Prime?! Is he here? On this planet?"

"He died trying to protect me…" Sam said resigned.

"Then we are doomed." Jetfire shook his head.

"Hey," Kim piped in. "You said that this Matrix is really powerful, right? Can we use it to restore Optimus to life? Like how the Decepticons'd used the All Spark fragment to resurrect Megatron?"

Sam fought back a grown, but deep down inside her, she desperately wanted that what her sister was asking could be done.

Jetfire seemed to ponder on that one. "Well, it was not the Matrix's intended use," he said, scratching his chin, then turned to her, "But its power is unlike any known…" he shrugged a bit.

"Ok, how do we find it?" Sam asked.

"Follow the symbols in your head!" The old bot said, tapping his head with his finger for emphasis. "They are a map to the location of the Solar Harvester. I and the other Seekers, dispatched by The Fallen, were unable to locate the Tomb that the Primes had forged." Jetfire continued, "The only clue we could find was a riddle: 'When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip, Three Kings will show the way'."

"That's not much…!" Leo muttered, gaining a punch in the arm from Kim. "Ow, what was that for?"

"Thanks for your help." Kim beamed. "We'll use wisely the information you gave us."

Jetfire stared blankly at the small human female. For the first time in many millennia, the talkative Seeker was speechless. He blinked several times at her, before uttering a stammering sentence.

"You… thanked… _me_…"

No one ever thanked him before. Usually, the comrades of both factions were either trying to pick a fight, or simply mistrusted him. And now, the only being that showed gratefulness to him was not even one of his kind!

Kim looked nervously from left to right. "Um… yes?"

"It's what we humans do." Sam said. "We don't really know what you've been through, and we're sorry that we had to talk you into this, but all things considered, you really helped us out. I'm sure with the knowledge of an advanced alien civilization in our minds, we'll figure the riddle out. So we are thankful for all the help you gave us." She explained, and the robot stared at her still.

Suddenly emotions pulsated through his being. Then Jetfire lost it.

He started to stammer and babble, throwing his hands and cane in the air, laughing nervously in disbelief. "Y-you are thank-ing _meee_!?!?!?!?!?!"

His shaking head soon took a glance of the awestruck humans, looking oddly at him.

Snapping out of his daze, straightening, clearing his throat, and gathering himself, he faced humans and Autobots alike. "Uh… I mean… Go! Find the Tomb of Primes, before the Decepticons find it… before they find _me_!!" Jetfire urged them to hurry off.

They obliged, a bit taken aback and frightened by the jet's mood swings, and the humans got into Bumblebee as he and the others transformed.

Jetfire's red optics followed their retiring forms for a bit longer, that same feeling still lingering in his spark.

*******

Bumblebee drove on the dirty path followed by Jazz and the two twins, who were intent on bickering on their special bond. The four humans were pondering Jetfire's words, trying to figure them out. Sam was in the driver's seat, her left hand on the steering wheel, pretending to be driving, while she was facing the others. Kim was in the passenger's seat, thinking over what the ancient jet had told them, Wheelie in her lap. Simmons and Leo were sitting in the back, also deep in thought.

"When dawn alights the Dagger's Tip…" Sam chanted.

"Could it be a place?" Kim asked, shrugging.

"Why can't old robots be strait forward when they tell you a riddle?" Leo whined, and everyone rolled their eyes.

Simmons snorted at the boy: he was either trying to lighten the mood, or he was simply being foolish. And he dreaded that it was his second guess.

The ex-agent shook his head. "From my history contact in the CIA, I learned that the Israelites used to call the Gulf of Aqaba 'the Dagger'."

"Well, that's a start." Leo commented.

"And the Three Kings?" Sam asked.

"Well, since the riddle talks about Egypt, it's logical supposing that the 'Three Kings' are three Pharaohs." Simmons answered.

"But there were hundreds of Pharaohs!" Leo exclaimed. "And they're all pretty dead right now, so how are they going to show us the way?!"

"Actually," Kim spoke up, "Pharaohs were considered gods rather than mere men…" Then she added in her mind, _Then again, that riddle is alien, so maybe they don't know the difference._

"Okay… Anyway, where do we head?" Sam asked.

**Gulf of Aqaba****.** Jazz's baritone voice reverberated through Bumblebee's insiders, startling everyone. The silver Autobot must have been overhearing their conversation.

"Alright." Kim replied, then looked at the others. "Don't worry. I'm positive we'll be able to figure out the rest." She smiled.

"Sure," Sam said sarcastically, still marvelling at how optimistic her sister was.

"Okay, let's say you can decipher the rest…" Simmons drew the sisters' attention on him. "How will you tell Lennox and the others to take Optimus' body here?"

Sam smirked slightly, and Kim did as well, intuiting what her sister was thinking.

"With a phone call." She shrugged, and the two males in the back regarded her blankly.

**Uh, oh! **Mudflap's and Skids' voices said at the same time. So they too were eavesdropping.

The humans turned or looked in the mirrors, and when they did, their eyes widened. Behind Jazz and the twins there were two Egyptian police cars. They had found them!

"How did they found us?!" Leo asked, bracing himself as Bumblebee, along with the others, increased his speed.

"Yeah, because it's really _difficult_ to miss four cars, whose models are LEAST LIKELY to exist!" Simmons shouted, as he hung onto both the door handle and the hand grip; after he finished his sentence, though, the seat raised a bit, just enough for his head to bang on the roof… maybe a clear sign that the yellow Camaro not only heard him, but he didn't like what he said either.

"They're not gonna slow down!" Sam said alarmed.

"Look! There's a village over there!" Kim yelled, pointing in the direction of the village, removing momentarily her hand from where it was draped protectively over Wheelie.

*******

Chocolate eyes, peering from a veil, followed the two interceptors, as they drove through the village, and away from their quarry. The girl let out the sigh of relief she didn't know she was holding, and turned to her companions.

"Okay, all clear." Kim declared, removing her veil.

Sam, Simmons and Leo nodded, coming out of their hiding spots. Sam and Kim started to walk away, passing under the Autobots, who were currently hanging from a sand-coloured wall. Jazz and Bumblebee were gripping tightly the twins' wrists with one hand, while they used the other to have a firm grip on the wall's edge.

"Hey, and you call dis disguisin'?!" Mudflap said, hanging from Jazz's grasp.

"No," Skids corrected him, as he hung from Bumblebee's hand. "This is what you call blendin' in wit' the landscape... like a ninja."

Kim, who was practically under them, only few feet to the right – just in case – stopped, and tilted her head up. "Why not? They were looking for four cars, not for four giant robots."

Once the four humans had cleared the area around them, the Autobots jumped down the wall. The girls were waiting for them to retransform, and head towards their next destination, when Simmons asked, "Wait, back on the phone call: how are you going to make it, if the exact moment you pick up the phone, two armies drop by on us?!"

Sam took a moment pretending to think about it, then smirked from ear to ear. "Then it's better if this call is made by someone who is not wanted,"

"Someone who the Decepticons least expect helping us," Kim added, as she patted Wheelie's head, not looking at Simmons; the drone was now resting halfway on her shoulder.

"Someone who has connections," Leo grinned, finally catching up, and tapping his chin with one finger.

The three of them exchanged glances, before turning to look at Simmons devilishly.

Simmons was beginning to feel uneasy under their stares. "Why are you staring at me like that?" the ex-agent asked.

Their smirks only widened.

*******

*New Jersey*

"YOU PERVERTS!!!" the blue Arcee shrieked, as she jumped up, and transformed, snarling at the non-NEST soldiers.

"What is going on here?!" Ironhide demanded, fully transformed, and glaring daggers at the soldiers.

"Those humans don't keep their hands for themselves!" the blue femme said, and the other two components were at her side instantly.

"WHAT?!" the weapon specialist roared, scaring the already frightened soldiers, who backed off.

"Hey, I've already told you, meatbags…" Sunstreaker hissed lowly, as many humans tried to load him inside the plane along with his brother. So far with no success. "KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY PAINT!!"

Sideswipe merely shut down his engine, and decided to sit still on the ground, as the soldiers tried to push him inside the cargo plane. Much like what Jolt was doing… except for the fact that every time the humans tried to touch him, a bolt of electricity forced them to remove their hands from his frame.

Ratchet, who was nearby, and still in robot mode, pinched the bridge of his nose. His comrades were doing a great job delaying their flight, but Arcee's yells that she had been groped, Sunstreaker's demands of not wanting human hands on his paint job, and Jolt's 'tingly' complaining were starting to become annoying.

"Y'know," Epps started, coming up to Lennox, who was watching the scene amused. "It's good that they liked your plan to delay the flight, but after six hours, I believe they're gonna suspect something." He said pointing to the non-NEST soldiers, and to Galloway.

"Just hang on a little longer," Lennox said.

One of his men that was in the small room they were occupying, stood and called him. "Looks like your plan paid off," he said, and both Lennox and Epps turned puzzled stares to him.

The soldier handed Lennox the phone without further ado.

Lennox took it, and answered. "Hello?"

**Will Lennox?** A male voice asked from the other side.

"Who wants to know?" the voice sounded oddly familiar.

**Um… this is **_**Seven Sectors**_** Agency.** The man replied. **We are the **_**Prime**_** Agency in disposing of your scrap metals. We know that you have some **_**lifeless**_** scraps to take care of, and we can take care of them! **

Lennox was taken aback. He stood in silence for a moment. If the voice finally rang a bell in his head, what he said made an alarm clock go off.

"Simmons?!" he blurted out, being careful not to shout the name.

Epps, who was next to his commander, yanked the headset from the table, and listened to the conversation the instruments were recording.

The man continued, ignoring Lennox's recognition.** I'm going to lay our prices down for you…** Lennox fumbled around frantically, before retrieving a pen and a piece of paper, in which he wrote the numbers Simmons was giving him.

**Come to visit us in Egypt! We can bring your scrap metals to life!** That said, the phone was hung up on the other end.

"What was that about?" Epps asked.

Lennox thought about it for a moment. "Could it be?" he locked eyes with Epps.

He snorted. "Simmons wasn't that Sector Seven guy who gave us so much trouble?"

"Yeah," Lennox answered. "But in the end, he helped us out."

"I've never liked that guy, but Galloway sure makes him look competent!"

Lennox agreed with a chuckle. The two exchanged a glance, before re-listening to the strange call.

"What's your take on it?" Lennox asked.

Epps shrugged. "He knew too much things 'bout what's happening. The 'Prime Agency', 'they can bring scrap to life', and I bet my wage that those prices are coordinates."

"Sure enough, he is the only one we least expect helping the girls after what happened." Lennox muttered.

"That call had the girls' names written on it," Epps said.

They walked on the doorframe, watching the soldiers struggle to load up the Autobots to return to Diego Garcia. The other men looked expectantly at their commander: ranks or not, they still took orders only from Will Lennox.

"So, commander," Epps asked, "What now?"

A smile pulled at Lennox's lips. "Do you know those pilots?"

*******

*Pyramids of Giza*

The human/Autobot group had to pass through a checkpoint, that afternoon, in order to reach Giza. Surprisingly, even though the border authorities were ordered to arrest the Witwicky sisters and Leo after The Fallen put the price of humanity's existence on their heads, they had no trouble getting past them. Simmons was able to make them pass off as his family: his two 'daughters', and 'one of his daughter's fiancé' (although Sam and Kim really wanted to know which one… but they decided against asking such thing).

Fortunately for them, it also turned out that the border guard had visited New York City, where Simmons noted he was from, and liked the place. So much that he didn't question them any further.

Night had fallen upon the Pyramids of Giza, and the group had settled in to get some much needed rest.

Skids and Mudflap were sleeping peacefully, shoulder to shoulder, their sides glued together. They were asked – ordered and snarled are more like it – to keep the humans warm since the desert night was very, very cold. They wanted to take the girls obviously, but Bumblebee and Jazz handed Simmons and Leo to Skids and Mudflap respectively. After much complaining, the twins drifted into recharge.

Bumblebee and Jazz were settled down against a structure near the pyramids, Sam and Kim sitting on one of their legs, relaxing in the warmth radiating from them.

They sat in silence, the humans being perfectly shielded from the cold night also by the two robots' hands around them. Sam turned her gaze from the sky to look at her sister, who was smiling warmly at Wheelie, as he slept on her lap.

The curly brunette decided to break the heavy silence that hung in the coldness of the night. "Did you ever think things would turn out this way?"

Kim raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at her sister, marvelling at her question. "Do you mean us being mankind's last hope again, or us being in giant robotic aliens' arms?"

"The second is just a consequence of the first." Sam waved dismissively.

Kim laughed. "Not even in my wildest fantasies." She smiled, watching Wheelie sleeping peacefully, and feeling Jazz's stare on her. "You?" she asked after awhile, raising her head to meet her sister's gaze.

"I didn't expect to see Simmons again," Sam replied sarcastically.

Kim laughed again. "And what about you two?" she asked the two Autobots. "You must have seen the most unbelievable things ever!"

Jazz chuckled. "Quite," He then removed briefly his right hand from around her, to put his clawed finger under her chin, and tilt her head up to look at his visorless optics. "But I hafta admit dat dis is the most _beautiful_ planet ever!" He managed to make that 'beautiful' refer not only to the planet, and she blushed, a smile spreading across her face.

"Aww, stop flirting, you two!" Sam whined.

"Jealous?" Kim smirked.

"No!" Sam said a little too fast, but then snorted. "Meeting us only gave you trouble,"

"Don't talk like dat, Sam." Jazz said, before Kim could speak.

"But we did! You almost got killed while you were protecting us from the Decepticons!" Sam insisted.

"It's what a family does." Kim replied, frowning.

The two Autobots were well aware of the increasing amount of adrenaline pumping in the two girls' bodies, and anticipated what would happen next. But before the conversation could end up with Kim trying to murder her sister to make her admit that they were a family, Bumblebee's radio switched to life.

_- I don't mind spending everyday  
Out on your corner in the pouring rain  
Look for the girl with the broken smile  
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile  
And she will be loved  
She will be loved-_

Of course the yellow scout wanted Sam to know that they were not a burden to the Autobots, that he didn't mind if his legs had been cut off at the knee in the last battle, that that was what he was programmed for. That he cared about the small human and her sister like he had never cared about anyone in his entire life. However the song he played had a complete different effect, especially on Kim.

Kim's mouth hung agape, and so did Sam's. Then the hacker burst out laughing. "Aww, and you told _us_ to stop flirting!"

She leaned her head on her left hand, as her elbow rested on Jazz's left forearm. Kim was enjoying Sam's reddened face as the song went on.

_-Tap on my window knock on my door  
I want to make you feel beautiful  
I know I tend to get so insecure  
It doesn__'t matter anymore-_

"B-bumble-bee! S-stop!" she stammered, blushing deeply. And Kim's giggling wasn't helping any.

"You too!" Sam glared, but the next verses made Kim laughing harder.

_-__I know where you hide  
Alone in your car  
Know all of the things that make you who you are  
I know that goodbye means nothing at all  
Comes back and begs me to catch her every time she falls-_

"Urgh! I hate you!" Sam growled.

Jazz looked at Bumblebee. He knew that what the two sisters were saying could hurt his friend, but the true meaning behind that song was only up to Sam to figure out. Right now, the saboteur knew that the scout wasn't hurt, but was in fact happy that the two girls he had grown so attached to were laughing.

Once she regained enough composure to stop shaking with laughers, Kim spoke up. "Aww, c'mon!" She cooed. "Although it's the end of the world, we can take a bit of time to relax in the arms of strong and handsome giant robots, as they give us a serenade in the romantic atmosphere of the pyramids-"

"The pyramids…" Sam cut her off, mumbling.

"Huh?" Kim asked, taken aback by her sister's voice.

"Kim, you're a genius!" Sam stated.

"Tell me something I don't know!" Kim smirked smugly.

Sam then jumped off Bumblebee's leg, and ran on the catwalk of the structure the Autobots were leaning against. Kim took a moment to watch her sister, before jumping down herself, and following Sam. Wheelie was awakened harshly as his small body impacted on the ground, but the little drone didn't have time to process what was going on, because Kim grabbed him as she went after her sibling.

"Hey, wake up!" She all but yelled at the two humans that were sleeping peacefully on the two recharging twins.

They all awoke with a start; Simmons and Leo, whose head was resting between the first's shoulder and head, jumped, looked at each other, and snorted disgusted, turning their heads from one another, and hurrying to climb down the two awakening robots.

Skids shook his head, glancing at the girl, who was on the catwalk, and then at the two older Autobots making their way towards them.

"Five more kliks, Creator…" Mudflap muttered, earning a punch on the head from his brother, as he 'gently' woke him up. "Hey! What was that for?!"

"Do ya have any slaggin' idea what time it is?!" Wheelie yelled grumpily from Kim's arms, but he calmed down once he caught the death glare she cast him, and corrected himself. "Um… I mean, what's up?"

"What's so important that you had to wake us up?" Simmons yawned as he walked up to the curly-haired girl, followed by Leo; the Autobots just looked at them from the ground, the humans now being eye-level with (most of) them.

"Sorry to interrupt your beauty-nap, I realise how much you need it…" the girl teased him, and he cut her off, "Get to the damn point!"

"Okay, okay," she held up her hands in defence, then a serious frown crossed her features. "I believe I've figured out the last clue."

That took a moment to sink in their sleepy minds, and then realisation hit them.

"What?!"

"Yeah. Um, did you know that these three pyramids were made as those three stars' image?" She asked pointing at the sky. "The three stars are located in the costellation of Orion, in its so-called 'belt'."

"How do you know all that stuff?" Leo asked.

"It was in our Astronomy textbook, y'know?" Sam replied, marvelling that he didn't know, not realising that she read the whole volume in few seconds, and he didn't.

"Well, _y'know_, we just started it yesterday!" Leo retorted.

"Oh… of course." She scratched the back of her head nervously, before blurting out her explanation. "Anyway, while I was having my nervous breakdown, I've read the whole book in less than six seconds… And it was thicker than those pyramids… Back to the point, the Egyptians made those pyramids look like the disposition of the stars. The three kings! The three stars that will show us the way!"

The humans tore their gazes from the excited girl to look at the three stars glittering in the dark sky.

"So all we have to do now is waiting for dawn." Kim said, as they looked at the three stars that seemed to stare back at them, noticing that they were starting to point towards their final destination… where they would find the famous Matrix of Leadership.

The humans and Autobots decided to rest for the night, foreseeing a hard day tomorrow. They were really excited now, though. They were urged by a newfound hope, now that they had deciphered the last clue.

They were one step closer to bring Optimus back.

*******

Hope you liked this chapter as well as the others!

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	10. Chapter 10: Crumbling to dust

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Aww, I love JazzxKim! Who would have thought?!XD Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

_Thinking_

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

*******

**10****- Crumbling to dust**

*Flight to 'Diego Garcia'*

The NEST soldiers were sitting in the cargo plane that would take them back to Diego Garcia, along with the Autobots, who were strangely quiet under the cargo nets, and the director, Galloway. The blackened still form of Optimus Prime was laying between the two lines of sitting soldiers. Suddenly, alarms went off, signalling that there were landing trouble.

"What's that?" Galloway asked, looking up from some documents he was reading, glancing worryingly at the soldiers, who were standing.

"Alright, everyone get ready!" Epps shouted, as he and the other soldiers prepared themselves to parachute off the plane.

**We got engine trouble.** The voice from the speakers explained, as the soldiers continued to load the parachutes on their back.

"What?!" Galloway squeaked, standing.

"Okay, we have to jump." Lennox said, standing as well, and taking a parachute.

"Jump?! Lennox?!" the director started. "What is going on?!"

Ignoring the suited man, William Lennox started to help – _force_ is more like it – him wear the parachute.

"This is all your idea, isn't it?" Galloway said accusingly, as he let the ex-Major strap securely the parachute on his back.

"What?! No way! Go ask the pilots: those people don't fool around." Lennox pretended to look surprised by his statement, looking up at the director, as he finished to secure the parachute.

Galloway let out a sharp squeak as Lennox tied the last strap, which was a little too tight for the director's comfort, then took him by his arm, dragging the protesting man to the rear hatch, stopping briefly to open it, before walking again.

"Major Lennox…" Galloway started in a worried tone, becoming quite uncomfortable with the wind blowing from several feet above the ground.

Lennox turned the man so that he was facing him. "Alright, your parachute is equipped with a GPS, that will help us find you."

"W-What?!" the director stammered. "Why don't you have a parachute?!"

Lennox gave him a patronizing smirk. "I have to make sure the VIP is safe first,"

Shouting over the roaring wind, the ex-Major continued to lecture Galloway on how to use the parachute, naming various parts of it, explaining how it worked, and laughing internally at the man's priceless expression.

"…So that's it. Got that?"

"NO! I didn't understand a word you said!" Galloway yelled back out of frustration, and to let the ex-Major hear him above the wind.

"Here," Lennox reached a hand out on Galloway's right shoulder, "The blue is your primary. I want you to pull the blue, okay?" He ordered him, while mimicking the gesture with his right hand. "I need you to pull the blue real hard!"

"The blue?!" Galloway babbled, fumbling around with the straps on his shoulders, then pulling the one that released the parachute. Galloway paused, and looked back at Lennox.

"Not now!" Lennox shouted. "We're still in the plane, you dumbass!"

There was a moment of stunned silence, just what it took to the parachute to expand, and exit the cargo plane, dragging the poor director with it.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Lennox watched the spot the suited man had been standing on for a little longer, before sighing, shaking his head, and closing the hatch, while making his way back to the others.

Seeing Lennox returning without Galloway, Epps couldn't prevent a small smirk from forming on his lips.

"Did you say goodbye to him?" Epps asked his Commander, amused.

"Never had the chance." Lennox shrugged.

*******

"Sir?"

Morshower was frustrated and stressed, to say the least. The Decepticons' attack was worse than they thought, considering that Megatron had just threw two years of covering-ups for the Transformers' presence out of the window, and had blackmailed the planet. To top this all off, the only two people who really knew what was going on were on the run, and hunted down like animals, while the only team in two worlds, that could save the day was treated like the cause of their predicament. The Chairman was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the soldier until he repeated himself.

"Sir?"

"Yes?" he looked up to see the man handing a paper. He looked down at it, and his eyes widened.

'_Prepare to __bring the rain__'_

He had no doubt. This was a message from Lennox and his men. He also noticed that there were coordinates along with the note. After learning that Lennox was heading to the Gulf of Aqaba, Morshower turned to his men.

"Looks like Lennox's going to Egypt." He turned to one of the soldier in front of the screen.

"I want better confirmation about this, but prepare to back NEST up, if it comes to a fight." Morshower said, as his men nodded.

He didn't know exactly what was going on anymore, but he had a nagging feeling that all Hell was going to break loose… Again!

*******

*Somewhere above the Pyramids*

"Okay, guys! Time to move!"

Sideswipe, who had been covered in a cargo net along with the others, eagerly cut through his bonds when NEST was preparing to deploy from the air. The silver twin help the others by slashing their restraints in one swift sweep of his well sharpened sword.

"Finally! I see my true beauty emerge!" Sunstreaker exclaimed as he transformed, and walked towards the rear hatch, readying himself to jump.

"Aw, shut up!" Sideswipe snorted, rolling his optics as he shoved his brother out of the cargo plane, before jumping off himself with a shout, followed by his comrades, humans and robots alike.

"Geronimooooo!"

*******

*Petra, Jordan*

"Are we there yet?" Leo asked for what seemed the tenth time.

"No." Though firm and annoyed, even Simmons' voice was betraying a bit of uncertainty and despair.

They were walking for hours. The path was deserted, hot and was making them irritate. The sun rays fell inexorably on their heads, making them ache. After few hours their eyes started to give signs of uneasiness.

"Over there!" Kim called from the back of the line they made. They all turned to where she was pointing, and sighed in relief: the massive structure of Petra was now before them.

They hurried inside the chamber that was carved between the ancient sandy pillars. They had a bit of difficulty because the step to the room was rather tall. After all the humans and Autobots climbed inside the ruins, they looked around, searching for something that would tell them that this was indeed the Tomb of the Primes, but they had no such luck.

"So this is the great Tomb of the Primes?" Wheelie asked dumbfounded, looking around at the semi-empty room from his perched poison on Kim's shoulder.

"This place's empty." Sam stated the obvious.

"Something's wrong here…" Kim muttered. "Do you think that maybe the Decepticons arrived here first?"

"I doubt it." Jazz answered. "If they arrived here before us, this place would now be only a pile of ruins."

"Maybe Grandpa Blackbird was ill-informed?" Leo suggested.

"Well, boy. Real life is heart-breaking." Simmons angrily informed him.

Kim doubted it. For some strange reason, she knew that the old jet was right. Maybe it was only them that couldn't see the marvels that laid just before their eyes. Sam sat down under the fresco in the sand-coloured room, hiding the despair on her face in her hands.

However, Leo's complaining of the lack of answers caused an argument between the Twins, who started to doubt Sam's lead.

"I say it's da gal's fault." Mudflap started.

"Yeah, she said she was positive." Skids added.

"Hey, why did we follow 'er?" the orange twin asked, ignoring the fact that the girl was in the same room as they were.

"I dunno. She killed Megatron: does dat count?" the green twin shrugged.

"Yeah, good job!" Mudflap frowned.

"Hey, if ya're scared, why did ya tag along?" Skids pointed a finger to his brother.

"Oh, the only thing I'm scared of is yer ugly faceplate!" Mudflap spat back.

As the twins began to bicker with one another, Kim's eyes landed on the giant fresco on the wall behind Sam. She didn't know why, but it looked out of place. Like it was put there for no other reason than to cover the wall. That wall. She narrowed her chocolate eyes. Could it be?

Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice that the argument between the mechanical twins naturally escalated from verbal to physical abuse, until a silver, clawed hand scooped her up, and away from the fighting Autobots. Just in time too, because a split second after Jazz took Kim in his hand, the twins started to punch and shove each other, damaging the ancient ruins they were in.

Sam conveniently got out of the way before Mudflap was flung against the fresco, and ran to Jazz's safe legs, where Wheelie was already cussing at the fighting twins.

Having had enough of both the twins' argument and the humans' protests for them to stop, Bumblebee borrowed a page from Megatron's unofficial book on dealing with subordinates. He picked Skids up in one hand, and Mudflap in the other, literally knocking some sense in them by banging their heads together, and threw them out of the temple afterward.

"Wow!" was all Sam could utter.

_-Somebody had to do it.-_ the yellow Autobot defended himself.

"It was time too." Simmons commented, and Leo agreed.

"Wait a minute." Kim piped in. "Maybe they finally got one thing right."

She jumped off Jazz's hand, and examined the wall. The twins' bickering created a hole in the wall with the fresco, and, placing a hand on the crack, Kim could feel air coming out.

"Something's behind this wall!" she shouted, and Simmons was quickly at her side, ripping off a piece of wall, and revealing a metal sheet underneath.

Sam ran her fingertips on the metal, feeling the glyphs carved in it. "The Cyberglyphics!"

The humans heard Bumblebee's radio alerting them. _-Stand back.- _Was all he said, and, when the humans cleared, he proceeded to widen the whole with his plasma cannon.

Soon, a human-sized hole appeared on the wall, and the humans went to check it out, pointing their flashlights inside, and revealing the shining of dusty metal.

"So if it wasn't for those two, we would have never found the Tomb of the Primes?" Sam wondered aloud, still glancing inside.

"Jus' don't tell 'em." Jazz sighed. "It'll jus' get on their heads."

Kim and Sam looked at one another, and then started to go inside the metal chamber, but Bumblebee's radio stopped them._ -Proceed. Touch nothing but the lamp.-_

"Aladdin?" Leo asked.

"I think he means it's better if we don't touch anything else except for the Matrix." Sam provided.

Nodding their agreement, the humans walked in the Tomb where nobody ever went. It was marvellous. They cautiously made their way inside, watching in both respect and fascination the ancient structure made of once living beings. The various bodies tangled on each other seemed to made a path to take the visitors directly to what they came for: the Matrix.

Sam gasped, and crouched, stopping briefly to look at the artefact. Kim was quickly at her side, smiling hopefully at the item. Simmons and Leo stayed behind, not bothering to cover the satisfied smirk crawling on their faces.

Finally, the Matrix. What they needed to resurrect Optimus. They would bring him back, and Sam would be finally able to make amends for what she did. Seeing the approving nod of her sister, she outstretched her hands, her fingertips grasped softly the old metal of the Matrix… which crumbled to dust upon being moved.

Silence.

"No… no…! No, nononononononono! NO!!" Sam yelled in disbelief.

"You gotta be shitting me!" Kim added, not caring to watch her language.

"Okay, what else did Grampa Blackbird forget to tell us?! That the Matrix was 'made in China'?!" Leo protested.

"This can't be!" Kim continued. "Wasn't this supposed to be the most powerful item after the All Spark or something?!"

"Well, look on the bright side;" Simmons tried to lighten the mood. "Without the Matrix, the Decepticons can't activate the machine."

"But we can't resurrect Optimus…" Kim trailed off.

Silence followed her last statement, before they all heard noises from outside. Leo and Simmons went to check it out, the latter positive it was Lennox and the Autobots. Sam and Kim were left alone in the Tomb. The hacker tore her eyes from the entrance, and looked at her sister's form, still crouched down, her hands in the same position as when she grabbed the Matrix.

Snapping out of it, and narrowing her eyes in determination, Sam gathered up the dust in a tattered handkerchief, that Kim really didn't know where she got it from.

"Uh… Sam? I don't think duct tape will do it." Kim whispered sadly, walking up to her sister.

"Then you didn't use enough," Sam replied sharply.

"Okay, who are you, and what did you do to my sister?"

Sam gathered up all the dust, then stood and faced her sister. "Look, you were right. I hate to admit it, but you were right. About everything. Optimus' advise, the split map, and the fact that we'd figure out the last clue. I may have figure it out, but if we're here, it's only thanks to you and your strong faith."

"For as much as I adore being worshipped," Kim interrupted her, grinning jokingly, then turning serious again. "We don't have time now. Get to the point."

"Alright. I just thought, the Hell with it! Let's do it your way, ok?"

Kim nodded firmly.

After the last of the grains of their feasible hope was gathered up, the sisters collected the Autobots and returned outside where Simmons and Leo spotted the NEST team parachuting to prepare for battle near the pyramids.

"Are you really going to resurrect Optimus with the fairy dust?" Leo asked awestruck.

"Uh… We'll figure something out as we reach them." Sam replied, looking meaningfully at Kim.

"Looks like you won't have much time." Simmons said, eyeing the parachuting team.

The others nodded, as the Autobots transformed once again. Once the humans were seated in Bumblebee, they all took off at top speed, trying to reach Lennox and the others as fast as possible. As several comet-like things came crashing down on the dusty desert, the Autobots accelerated, realising that there was going to be a tough battle soon enough… sooner than they thought, if only they'd acknowledged the tattooed F-22 soaring above them…

*******

Wooow! Little cliffy! Next chappie there will be the battle!! Well, a part of it!!! Sorry for the delay! Hope you liked this chapter as well as the others!

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	11. Chapter 11: When all Hell broke loose

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

Thinking

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

*******

**11****- When all Hell broke loose**

"We're about to get our asses whooped!" Epps muttered, after seeing the many Decepticons landing where they were.

"Alright!" Lennox said, as he walked past his men, and Autobot allies. "We got a whole bunch of fight coming our way!"

As they all observed their enemies stalking closer to them, they heard a jet soaring above them and detonating some sort of EMP, disabling the soldiers' gear. Fortunately, though, the F-22 Raptor flying around them caught Epps' attention. He blinked twice as he looked closer to the jet through his binocular.

"Will!" the Sergeant called.

"What?" the Major asked, once he walked up to the dark-skinned man.

"That thing… those tattoos!" he stammered, pointing out the aircraft to Lennox. "That ain't friendly!"

"Oh, shit!" Lennox cursed.

"Will, you stay here and fight them. Arcee and I will go find Sam and Kim." Ironhide volunteered, bringing Lennox's attention to him and the three femmes standing behind his bulky form.

Lennox nodded, before pointing the way the F-22 just headed to. "Start that way."

"Why that way?" The pink Arcee asked.

"What makes you so sure they're other there?" the blue one added.

"Let's just say a little _Raptor_ told me…" Lennox smirked humourlessly, positive that they caught his drift.

And they did. The four of them started running full speed, or at least as fast as they could on the sandy ground, towards an abandoned Egyptian town.

*******

As Bumblebee drove the four humans back to Lennox and his team, with Jazz and the twins on his tail, they were attacked by Starscream. The monstrous Decepticon began dropping missiles on their position, luckily bombing them to no avail.

Bumblebee, Skids, Mudflap and Jazz were practically dancing around the weapons dropped on them, fact that only seemed to annoy the Decepticon further. Leo was in the back along with Simmons, while Sam was in the driver's seat and Kim in the passenger's.

The four humans were clinging to whatever they could find in an attempt to steady their positions. Wheelie was grasping Kim's arm as he sat on her lap, muttering a good dose of expletives in his native language.

Once the missiles started to explode all around them, Leo's 'steely' resolve began to waver. "We're gonna die! We're gonna die! We're gonna die! Weregonnadie!" the boy started to wail and whimper, much to the other passengers' displeasure.

"Stop it!" Kim screamed over the noise of explosions.

"No one's gonna die!" Sam shouted, gripping tightly the steering wheel to avoid being thrown this way and that like a crash test dummy.

Not being able to decide if he hated the most Starscream's constant bombing or Leo's whining, Simmons felt magnanimous enough to 'help' the boy regain his composure: he tasered him.

"I can't stand him!" the ex-agent declared, once the boy had gone lax, and, for once, the two sisters agreed with him.

As the yellow car continued to speed ahead, the humans didn't notice that Jazz was no longer following them, but was trying to stop Starscream. Few minutes later, Simmons startled everyone as he asked – ordered is more like it – Bumblebee to stop, and let them out. The scout obliged, and pulled to a halt in a relatively safe zone, namely one where Starscream or any other Decepticon was not… yet.

"Ok, what now?" Kim asked, turning to the others, noticing that the Autobots were still in vehicle mode. She was about to ask Bumblebee where Jazz was, noticing that the saboteur was no longer with them, but Simmons' voice cut her off.

"You take the fairy dust, and reach the Big Guy." Simmons ordered firmly, but then paused to create a bit of suspense.

"What about you?" Sam asked frustrated.

"We'll take Huey and Louie without Dewey, and act as a diversion." Simmons answered her.

At this point, Leo had regain his composure, bearings and consciousness, and had stumbled out of Bumblebee. Once he heard what Simmons had in store for him, he gulped, but said nothing.

"Good luck." Sam nodded understandingly at them, before grasping Kim's hand and running off to revive Optimus.

"Kid," the ex Sector Seven agent put a hand on Leo's shoulder, and the boy gave him a nervous look. "It's time to show us what you're really made of."

"If the Decepticons catch us, everyone will see what I'm made of!" Leo whined, and was rewarded with a slap on the back of his head, as Simmons rushed to get into Skids.

"Prepare to be driven like never before!" Simmons proclaimed, and Leo could have sworn that the fabric of the seat he was in tensed slightly.

Once Skids sped on the desert path with Mudflap hot on his brother's tail, Simmons began to mutter. "One man, alone…"

"Stop saying that!" Leo sighed exasperated. After all, the ex Sector Seven agent was with him and two Autobots: he wasn't all by himself!

"…Betrayed by the country he loves." The man continued to be, well, himself, ignoring what Leo had just said.

"Oh, my goodness!" Leo shouted utterly exasperated, throwing his hands in the air. "I'm in the car with you. You're not alone!"

Skids and Mudflap drove the humans through their argument near the pyramids, where they suddenly realized that no Decepticon was tailing them. Getting out of the car so that both twins could transform, they suddenly realized that they were in the middle of some sort of construction site. They started to have an uneasy feeling about the place they were in…

…and, in fact, they were right.

While acting as a decoy to lure the Decepticons away from Sam and Kim, they didn't notice that they attracted the attention of the Constructicons… or rather, they _did_ notice, once they saw giant construction vehicles rolling towards them.

"Uh, oh…" Leo muttered, eyeing the Decepticon symbols that were on each of the vehicles.

"This is not good…" Simmons added, as he, Leo and the twins witnessed the Constructicons transform to combine into… Devastator!

*******

As the climactic battle between NEST and The Fallen's Decepticons waged on, Sam and Kim arrived in sight of a small abandoned village.

"C'mon! There're only two miles left!" Sam informed her sister breathlessly (sadistically, Kim added), as they continued to run under the sun and in the hot sand.

"Sam!" Kim took her arm, and stopped her.

Sam was about to shout at her sister that they had no time for that, and they had to keep moving, but the shriek of parted air brought her gaze to the sky. A light grey F-22 with strange symbols was hovering over them, just like a vulture would fly in cycles above its rotten prey.

Gulping loudly, and making a run for it, they entered the empty village, and hid inside an old house. The place rocked and shook as Starscream landed with several other Decepticons, and started to search for the Witwicky sisters.

"Find them! They're here…" they heard his screechy voice order, as his minions started to scout the area.

Slightly surprised that the giant didn't see where they hid, but thoroughly grateful that he didn't find them yet, Sam and Kim fell deadly silent, trying to make as less movements as possible. They both crouched down against a wall, which had many transparent bottles embedded in it.

Peering out through a small hole in the sandy wall, Kim saw the metallic bird-like legs of Starscream stalking slowly just outside the hut they were taking shelter in. The hacker gasped in fright upon seeing the lethal M-61 cannon clicking menacingly, and she was silenced by Sam's hand on her mouth.

They stayed that way, stock-still, holding their breath, their backs pressed against the bottles in the wall; the coloured glass objects weren't enough to block the sun rays, but Starscream was. The titan was still out there, searching for them, pacing nervously, getting more and more irritated by the second, and casting a smothering aura on the two humans.

Agonizing moments went by, ticked by the irritated clicks and whirrs of Starscream's joints; his massive shadow gave away his movements as it was projected on the wall across from the two frightened humans. A drop of sweat slid from Sam's temple down her cheek, as her lower lip was caught nervously between her teeth, desperately trying to stifle an anxious whimper; tears welled up in Kim's eyes, and one, small drop streamed down her face uncontrolled, and reached the hand over her mouth.

Once the winged shadow left the wall, none of the sisters relaxed. On the contrary, they tensed even more when they heard a buzzing sound coming from the wall. They looked up to see a tiny, insect-like, metallic being flying almost on Sam's nose.

The curly-haired girl removed her hand from Kim's mouth and took a hold of the metallic fly, ripping its small head off. Sam realized her mistake a little too late, just when Starscream ripped off the roof of the house.

They both screamed at the top of their lungs, as they made a mad dash for the small window that was on their right. Calling out for the other Decepticons, Starscream attempted to catch them, but they successfully escaped him.

Sam and Kim ran as fast as they could, jumping from one rooftop to the next, as they tried to get away from their pursuers through the bombed-out Egyptian town that had become the battlefield. And that was all they remembered doing: they were suspended in midair when the world around them exploded in a dark cloud of dust, sand and debris…

*******

Mudflap, Skids, Leo and Simmons watched astonished the giant monster that had took its colourful shape in front of them. The massive Devastator was the combination of the construction vehicles that had followed the four of them. His frame was bulky, and he was standing on all fours; but what was incredible was his mouth: it was made of several large and thick rings that spun on each other, creating a strong wind that sucked up everything that wasn't firmly planted on the ground.

"Wow! The big con sucks!" Mudflap commented the Decepticon's ability to vacuum up loose objects.

Not wasting more time, Leo, Simmons and the twins ran and gripped the railing of a small construction that was nearby. Leo grabbed a strong hold of the metallic railing with his left hand, while his right grasped Simmons' wrist just in time to prevent the latter from getting sucked into the maw of Devastator.

"Thanks, kid!" the man said over the roaring wind and flying sand.

Skids too grasped the railing for dear life, while Mudflap wrapped his large finger on his brother's shoulder.

"Skids! Don't let gooooooooo!!!!!!" the orange twin called, but as he did so, he loosened the grip, until he completely lost it, and started to fly his way to Devastator's mouth.

"MUDFLAP!!" the green Autobot yelled, watching his brother dangling dangerously near the monster's maw.

"Oh, no! You won't have me!! I'm too young to be eaten!!" Mudflap screamed to the Decepticon, hanging on for dear life inside the monster's mouth. Unfortunately, his 'kung-fu grip' couldn't save him, and he was sucked further inside. "Oh, farewell, cruel world!!" the orange Autobot declared, before disappearing through the whirling gears of the giant.

On the ground, near the two humans, Skids mourned his brother's loss. "He's gone! He's gone! That monster ate him alive!!" he cried, bowing his head, and hiding it in his forearm.

When he saw that Devastator stopped sucking up the loose objects all around them, Simmons realized that the safest place to be was directly under the giant. "His legs!" he shouted, as he stood.

"What?" Leo asked, standing as well.

"If we're under his legs, he can't suck us up!" Simmons explained, and realisation struck the other two as well.

They made a run for it.

Once under the Decepticon, who had started to vacuum up sand all over again, a vengeful Skids clambered up the titan's right forepaw, while the humans looked from beneath him, waiting for the right moment to escape.

To everyone's surprise, Devastator stopped again, and started to shook his head, as if trying to remove an offending thing. Said 'offending thing' turned out to be none other than… Mudflap!

The orange twin had survived, and was now blasting a hole through the Decepticon's head to escape.

"Wait, Devastator! There's a bug on yer face! Let me shoot it fer ya!" he smugly exclaimed as he fought his way out of the giant head by punching and shooting the monster's optic and cheek, doing quite a bit of damage to him.

"Mudflap! You're still online!!" Skids yelled happily, from his position on the right paw.

"Yeah! Hope dat ain't ruin yer weekend!" Mudflap looked down at his brother once out of the head.

"Hope dat ruins his weekend!" Skids smirked back at his twin, as he reached him.

They both looked at the Decepticon shaking in pain, then to each other, and their faceplates cracked into the most devilish evil grin everyone had ever seen. The humans caught sight of the smirk, and understood it was better running for their lives.

"Nobody messes with the twins!" Mudflap shouted at Devastator as he readied himself to play tag team with his twin.

To buy them time to escape, Skids threw a cable to Mudflap, who grabbed it and swung off Devastator's head onto his arm. Skids took the other end of the cable, and reached his brother there. However, once they landed, and overeager Mudflap 'accidentally' shot Skids in the face, knocking them off the arm. They landed on the ground with a painful 'thud', and Skids was forced to spit out his gold tooth.

"Hey! Ya shot at my face!!" the green twin whined, eyeing his lost tooth, then glaring at his brother.

Mudflap only smiled sheepishly, and watched the Decepticon heading away, to the great pyramid of Giza.

*******

_Th__ese two have an irritating ability to survive!_ Starscream thought, as he watched genuinely impressed the two humans running again after _he_ shot them.

It was clear that shooting them mindlessly would bring them nowhere, so the only other mean the Second-in-command knew it would work was a trap. And they had just the perfect bait…

"Rampage!!" Starscream bellowed, and the giant Constructicon Rampage appeared seconds later with the irritated parents of the two sisters in his grasp.

"Sam! Kim!" Ron and Judy screamed upon seeing their two daughters running their way.

"Mom! Dad!" Kim shouted, starting to run towards them, but Sam stopped her.

"Let go you tin-can!!" their mother yelled, while kicking the Decepticon, who merely snorted, smirking evilly at them.

Starscream crossed his arms across his chest, grinning mischievously at the girls.

"You coward-" Kim started, still held back by Sam, but was cut off by the Decepticon Seeker.

"Tzk, tzk!" Starscream shook his head, scolding her. "You're in no position to call me names, squishy!" he sneered, and Rampage set their parents on the ground, menacing them with a razor blade that came out of his wrist.

"Wait! Don't hurt them!" Sam pleaded, letting go of Kim.

"Then you know what to do, right?" Starscream asked, though he already knew the answer.

Kim was glaring at the winged Decepticon, something Sam was beginning to admire, while she herself glanced between them both, finding the same determination written into their eyes/optics. Sam looked at the hopeless expressions on her parents' faces, then something told her to glance at her right, where there was a small alleyway created by two nearby houses.

In the rush to get the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus, Sam had completely forgotten about her car. But there he was. Ah, sweet little Bumblebee! _How long had he been following us? How long had he protected us like an invisible guardian angel?_ Sam thought, at the same time promising not to leave Bumblebee ever again.

"Okay! Okay! Here's what you want!" Sam said, holding up the wrapped handkerchief that contained the Matrix powder. "Let them go now!" she ordered, implicitly promising to hand over the Matrix, but in reality stalling for time until Bumblebee was able to attack and rescue their parents.

_Just few steps back…_ Sam thought as she backed away, still beckoning the Decepticons to follow her, and leave their parents alone. Rampage removed the lethal weapon from near the two humans, and started to concentrate only on the two backing girls.

Suddenly a yellow blur sped by. Sam watched as Bumblebee transformed his arm into a canon, and fired at both Rampage and Starscream. Bumblebee was able to make Starscream fly away, while he lunged at the Constructicon, and tackled him to the ground.

Kim was quickly at their parents' side, trying to keep them out of harm's way, with Wheelie perched on her shoulder again. The small drone-bot must have been with Bumblebee the whole time.

Speaking of which… The yellow Autobot and the Decepticon were locked in a vicious hand-to-hand combat; too focused on what to punch and kick, Bumblebee didn't notice Ravage sneaking up from behind to attack him. After the yellow scout killed Rampage, he risked to be slashed by the giant cougar-like Decepticon if it wasn't for Jazz, who caught up with them.

As the lieutenant successfully killed Ravage, Sam didn't notice that she had wandered off alone a bit too much. She had watched Bumblebee and Jazz killing both Decepticons, and Kim trying to calm their parents down, but the curly-haired girl had unconsciously backed farther away.

Clicks and whirrs brought her attention on her right, and she came face-to-face with a cannon aimed at her head. Sam's eyes widened in fear. No! How could this be?! He was… he shouldn't be here! …But he was.

Standing few feet from her, was the black and white interceptor, the police car that had survived Mission City, and that she thought was gone for good. Barricade locked his crimson optics on the small female in front of him. She glanced worriedly and briefly ahead, hoping that one of the Autobots could help her, but they were both battling, and her sister had her back to her.

Turning her body completely to Barricade, she realized that no one could save her now. If the Decepticon wanted to fire, she would be gone in a flash, with no trace whatsoever that she'd ever existed. He was sheltered by the wall of the house, and Sam doubted that Bumblebee or Jazz would be fast enough to reach her side if Barricade decided to put an end at her life. Squaring her shoulders, and setting her face in a determined frown, she looked up expectantly at him: if he wanted to kill her, he'd have to look her in the eyes. Only one question remained: what was he waiting for?

*******

She was standing there, staring expectantly at him, waiting for him to deliver the final blow. The last shot that would erase her from existence. The hit that would end the battle. Then why wouldn't he order his systems to fire? She was defenceless, hopeless, alone… and the Autobots didn't acknowledge his presence, and if they did, there was little they could do to save her.

It would be so easy…

So terribly… unsatisfying.

Gone… just like that.

And then?

Well, the Autobots would have one fewer human friend to care about. And the Decepticons would win the fight. He had to shoot. He had to; after all, he was a Decepticon… then why couldn't he bring himself to move?

Was he hesitating because then he wouldn't be seeing her ever again, or trying to capture her, or marveling at her determination, creativity, and will to go on even though everything around was burned to the ground?

She was staring him straight in his red optics. Pit! Not even Starscream had the guts to lock eyes with Megatron when he pushed his patience too far, and the leader threatened to terminate his miserable existence. She was braver than many Decepticons he met, for now if it had been Starscream in her place, he'd been begging him to spare his life, just so that he could start planning his treachery, getting caught and restarting his begging anew.

So the question was: had he really grown to respect the fleshling so much that it interfered with his own programming? Well, perhaps. Maybe it was that he couldn't think of seeing her gone, erased, destroyed without an honorable fight. After all, the situation they were in was already desperate… but who knew what the small, fleshy creature could come up with to pull herself and the others out of trouble? And he couldn't know if he just shot her then and there, right?

Well, perhaps.

To Sam's utter surprise and shock, Barricade put his cannon down. Bowing his head briefly to the girl in a sort of salute, he transformed and sped away, leaving a bewildered Sam to wonder what had just happened. He'd wordlessly said that it'd be _another day, _or that she owed him one.

"Sam!"

The girl didn't have time to ponder further the thought, when her sister reached her, tapping her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yes," she stammered, still confused, and watched her parents rushing towards her.

"SAM!!" Ron and Judy screamed, hugging their daughter.

Explosions brought Sam out of her trance. "You don't stop, you don't hide. You run. You understand me?" She ordered her parents.

"We're all going together!" Ron Witwicky yelled back.

"NO!" Sam shouted, shaking her father a bit, before softening her gaze. "This is something Kim and I must do together. Dad, you have to let us go…"

It's one thing to be told that his daughters had fought alongside giant aliens and saved the world. It's easy to watch them leave the nest, go to their separate ways, if they know that Sam and Kim are happy and safe. It's another matter to be in the middle of a war, with sand and dirt streaking their bodies, and bullets whistling in the air, with deadly enemies surrounding them, trying to kill them all for something that Ron and Judy still hadn't really comprehend.

How could his daughters ask him to let them go? His much too young daughters, who still had so much to live for, and were forced to sacrifice their wellbeing for the sake of others'. How could they expect him and their mother to just get in the car, run, don't stop, don't hide, don't look back and leave _them_ behind? It's near impossible for a parent to let his offspring go, knowing that they'd have to run into a war, _knowing_ what was at stake and what it might cost them.

And Sam and Kim's bright eyes burning with the conviction that they have to do the right thing, and their determined expressions willing to face the odds and risk everything they have to protect their parents and their friends were truly something that Ron couldn't argue with. Because he knew that it was past the stage where he and Judy had to protect them from everything… because their daughters now knew what the real world was like, and it was their turn to keep their parents safe.

"Ron…" Judy started, but she had to repeat her husband's name to tear his attention from his daughters. "Ron… Let them go."

Tears started to pour from Ron's eyes, and he hugged Sam, burying his face in her curly hair. "But you have to promise…" his voice cracked, unable to elaborate further, afraid to continue, and think about the possibility of losing both girls. "…Promise…"

"I promise!" Sam said, hugging her father back. Kim and Judy joined the family hug briefly.

"Go with them." Kim told Wheelie, picking him up from his position on her shoulder.

"But, my Goddess! I'm not going to go without you!" the drone protested, and she shot him a glare that rivalled Soundwave's. "Unless… you're glaring at me!"

"Bumblebee, take our parents to safety." Sam ordered, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It's time for us to reach the Big Guy!" Kim said, trying to lighten up the mood, as they both watched their parents getting into the transformed Bumblebee.

"Go! Hide 'n Arcee're dat way!" Jazz informed them, and they nodded, casting a last glance at their parents, then running as fast as they could, leaving Ron and Judy to stare after the two tattered and dirty backs, as they shrank in the distance, knowing that they might not return.

*******

*NEST's control room*

**Where am I?** Galloway demanded to General Morshower on the phone. **United States!** Somebody on the other end kept on chanting.** No, I'm from United States! Where am I now? General, tell me where I am!** Morshower sighed, and hung up without so much as a goodbye.

Although he would have been amused by Galloway's predicament, he was worried about another fact. "Why can that idiot contact us, while NEST can not?"

"Something blinded all our satellites above the area, sir." One of his men informed him.

"Contact Egypt and Jordan: ask them to deploy some air assets to locate our men!" Morshower ordered his men, who immediately got to work.

*******

So here's part of the battle!!! What do you think of Cadie? Has he gone soft? Hope you liked this chapter as well as the others!

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


	12. Chapter 12: Spilled hope

**Disclaimer:** Everything that doesn't have an owner, belongs to me.

**Author's Note:** Uh… sorry for the delay?:) This chappie didn't really want to be written! Anyway, I did my best!;) Thank you for reviewing this fic!!! You're awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Note:**

_-everything playing through __Bee's speakers-_

"Talk"

Thinking

**Nonverbal communication**** (comm. link, phone, radio, etc…)**

Tell me what you think. Now, on with the story… Enjoy! ;)

**1****2- Spilled hope**

Another explosion went off, electing a thick cloud of sand, debris and dust, that fell on the two humans, who were taking refuge behind an already crumbled wall. Covering their heads with their arms, Sam and Kim peeked out gingerly from behind their fingers, that were shielding their chocolate orbs from the smoke. Relief washed over them when they spotted four familiar figures coming their way.

"I found them!" the purple Arcee exclaimed, calling for the others.

A split-second later, the pink component of the tripartite Cybertronian arrived with Ironhide, both backing off as they continued to shoot at oncoming Decepticons.

The blue Arcee crouched down next to the wall that was offering a bit of protection to the sisters, relieved to see the two girls still in one piece. "This way." She said, charging her weapon to escort them through the warzone, "We'll protect you."

Kim was smiling at the femme, while she climbed on the remains of the wall to reach her. Sam, on the other hand, waited until her sister crossed the wall completely, thus having enough time to see several Decepticons ambushing their rescue team, but not enough to alert them.

"BEHIND YOU!!" the curly-haired girl screamed, but it was already too late.

Arcee turned her head and, to her horror, a Decepticon had been able to pass through Ironhide and her other two selves. The blue one shouted in both desperation and sorrow as her purple and pink components were disabled.

"NOOOOOO!!!!" Arcee screamed, as she watched helplessly the scene unfold before her crystal-blue optics.

Time stood still for all of them. Sam and Kim couldn't do anything different from staring with wide eyes as their metal friends fell down, one after the other. A small tremor brought their attention to their left, and both realized that the remaining operational component had fallen to her knees, mourning silently, as she slowly cradled her head in her small hands. Ironhide was on the ground, but it looked like he was going to make it; the same couldn't be said for the two Arcees.

After what seemed an hour, but in reality was a mere minute, Ironhide crippled on his pedes, and shoot the Decepticon that had paused after taking down the two femmes.

"Come on, Arcee!" he called, placing a strangely gentle massive hand on the small blue shoulder.

Azure mechanical eyes looked up for a moment; even sorrowful as they were, the weapon specialist could see a new determination burning inside them. The femme nodded, then looked at the two humans staring expectantly at them. Understanding and pain filled their watery eyes, but all of them knew that this was not the time.

Standing up, Arcee charged her large cannon, and smirked. "Let's do this!" she declared, and both robots started to lead the humans to where Major Lennox and Optimus were waiting, though the two mechanical beings were hit numerous times, while providing cover fire for their friends.

After the twins unsuccessfully tried to stop Devastator, the giant metallic creature began to take apart one of the pyramids with its enormous paws.

"Why is that thing clambering up the Pyramid of Giza?!" Leo yelled in frustration as he looked up from where he and Simmons had just escaped the monster's vacuum-like mouth.

Simmons looked up as well, following the massive being, until finally realization struck. "It must be where the machine Grampa Blackbird told us about is!"

At that, the Hispanic boy turned to the older man, realising now that every piece of the puzzle was falling into place. Turning his attention back to Devastator, he realized that something else was going to fall.

A Jordanian helicopter that had tried to stop the Decepticon, had been downed by Megatron himself, as the silver leader finally entered the battle.

"INCOMING!!!!" Leo screamed as they both duck for cover, the helicopter crashing not far from them.

Once the thick blanket of dust, that had exploded upon the chopper's impact, settled, Simmons and Leo approached the aircraft, gingerly but hurriedly. Being careful around the flame that were licking up from the downed helicopter, they successfully rescued the two, mostly unharmed, pilots. The ex Sector Seven agent was lucky enough to retrieve a still functioning radio too.

"They need to know our position…" Simmons said, as he eyed the Decepticons still battling and then glanced at the radio in his hand.

"How are we going to do that?" Leo asked, before he caught sight of the determination on the other man's face, and frowned. "No! Wait!" he called after Simmons, as he started to run towards Devastator, radio in hand.

The young man caught up with the ex-agent and stopped him. "You-"

"Son," Simmons cut him off sternly and firmly. "There are some sacrifices that we must do."

Leo's protests were still summed up in a frown on his face, but he knew deep down that the older man was right, and said nothing more. He nodded understandingly, and was left to help the two pilots and to keep an eye on the damaged twins. Simmons then followed Devastator to the pyramid, with the radio in hand.

"One man, alone, abandoned by the country he loves…" Simmons muttered as he jogged towards the pyramid, continuing to be, well, himself.

"Quit saying that, and get a move on!" he heard Leo calling after him, and had to stifle an annoyed groan.

He then used the radio to contact the United States Navy, the only one he knew that could stop Devastator, using the special weapon known as the 'Rail gun', based on studies of the US military. At the other end answered a captain, whose voice acquired a tone of disbelief when Simmons told him that he demanded them to use the top secret weapon because there was a Decepticon 'rebuilding' one of the pyramids.

After wheedling difficultly his way around the captain's tedious demand as to how he knew of their top secret weapon with a simple _'Don't tell me what's top secret! I practically invented it! I dealt with top secret things when you were still playing with action figures!', _Simmons climbed up the pyramid, following Devastator and occasionally ducking and dodging flying pieces of the ancient tomb.

Sam and Kim continued their mad dash through the battlefield, occasionally stumbling, screaming or staggering anytime a missile or a friendly comrade fell near them. Arcee was sprinting on her one-wheeled foot, taking down anyone who was fool enough to block their way, while Ironhide kept himself busy by shooting the Decepticons ambushing them from behind.

While Jazz and Bumblebee were taking their parents to safety, Jolt and the twins were helping the humans that were firing at the Decepticons near Optimus' corpse.

The ground shook violently when Jolt was tackled by another Decepticon, at least twice his size. The blue medic-in-training yelled wordlessly, as he unsuccessfully tried to pin his attacker down. Moments later, he felt the enormous weight of his assaulter being lifted off him; his wary optics caught a glimpse of gold gripping one of the Decepticon's metal arms and wrenching it off, using it to beat him to death… literally.

That same golden hand was now outstretched towards the temporarily stunned blue warrior, beckoning him to grab the offered limb. Snapping out of his shock, Jolt took Sunstreaker's hand and hauled himself up on his pedes. He also took another moment to survey what just happened; he stood and stared in genuine surprise at the golden soldier come to his rescue, then at the knocked-out enemy that laid crumpled in a heap.

"You should watch out, newbie." Sunstreker's voice brought Jolt's attention on his taunting faceplates. "I can't always be there to save your sorry aft."

On the end of his sentence, Jolt's optics, that had always been calm, carefree and easygoing, took on an angered and menacing glee. Jolt was used to Sunstreaker calling him a newbie, and often teasing him for his nearly-pacifist ways; however, seeing the electricity-wielding Autobot so enraged made the yellow twin wonder if maybe he had finally gone too far.

The medic-in-training's electric whips aimed at point-blank range to his head only seemed to give Sunstreaker further confirmation. He yelled in fright, ducking as a beam of hot electricity shot past his left head-fin. Getting over his shock, Sunstreaker realized that the same Decepticon he'd just crushed had raised his head again, and was trying to get revenge on him, but Jolt prevented him to do it. Turning to his comrade, as he straightened himself, Sunstreaker saw Jolt wind down his powers, and give him a hard stare.

"Pay attention to your surroundings." Jolt said curtly, then turned, and added, glancing over his shoulder, "After all, I can't always be there to save your sorry aft." He commented, grinning as he threw Sunstreaker's words back at him.

"Um…" the yellow twin chuckled, scratching the back of his helm nervously. "Call it even?"

Meanwhile, Sideswipe was hacking away his opponents with his swords, practically dancing gracefully among his adversaries with his wheeled feet even on sand, proving wrong whoever thought that to be a design flaw. He soon had help in the form of NEST's artillery.

"Kim and Sam at eleven o'clock!" Sideswipe announced as he paused his slashing to look at the two approaching humans, his comrades doing the same.

Sam had already crossed a rather nasty area of the warzone practically undamaged, Arcee way ahead, while Ironhide's immense shadow hovered over both humans. Her sister, however, had fallen back a bit, having to dodge what it looked like Starscream's cannon. The girl was looking at the ground in front of her, as sand and debris fell on her now jacketless body.

In short, Kim was running for her life, not really paying attention to her surroundings; that's why she didn't notice that her new trajectory brought her in the arms of a Constructicon, until it was too late.

"AAAHHH!!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, as the huge Mixmaster slammed both giant hands at each side of her, causing Kim to lose her balance and fall.

_Oh, no! No, please! Not here! Not now!_ She thought desperately, as she awkwardly raised on her feet, and attempted to stumble away from the metallic monster. _Somebody, ANYBODY, please, help me!!!_

Like a celestial vision, an SR-71 Blackbird started to descend from the heavens, aiming straight for the Decepticon that had attacked Kim. Both human and machine stopped what they were doing to stare at the aircraft as it started to transform in midair. The girl watched in relief as the black Seeker slowly made his way to the ground, like a gift from above, and started his transformation, coming down to rescue her just like an angel sent to save her from Hell.

"Alright… Stick the landing…"

The graceful movements and the majesty that any flyer naturally possessed seemed to be left behind in the blue of the sky, when Kim and Mixmaster noticed that Jetfire's attempt wasn't going to go quite as he planned. They both had wide eyes/optics glued to the form that just a moment ago appeared to descend with the confidence of a proud creature of the sky, and now looked to have acquired the elegance of an iron. His now freefall came to a sudden, and quite painful end, when the hard sand welcomed the black, full-transformed robot, with the explosion of a thick and large cloud of dust celebrating his not-so-graceful landing.

"Well… almost…" The old bot commented, as he rubbed his sore head, and his gyros stabilized from having gone tumbling and rolling aft over nosecone across the ground.

Kim's scream declared the end of the pause that both her and the Decepticon seemed to have taken to stare at Jetfire, who turned to the matter at hand. Without wasting more time, he got on his feet much faster than a robot his age should move, and quickly snatched Kim from under Mixmaster's large frame.

"Lemme show ya how we brought the pain in my day!!" Jetfire exclaimed, once the girl was out of harm's way, and promptly sliced Mixmaster in half, crushing his upper torso.

Once the dust that had arisen cleared, Kim's eyes blinked furiously as her brain registered Jetfire's triumphant form.

"Jetfire! You came back!" Kim exclaimed, overjoyed to see the old robot, and even more grateful that he saved her life. "And you saved me! Thank you, Big Guy!!"

"Just returning a favour to the only one who thanked me, lil' lady!" he winked.

Kim's cheeks flushed, and turned a darker shade of pink (even though it was practically impossible to see under the dust that covered them), and it looked like her eyes were starting to water.

"Now don't get all sentimental! Ya got a job to do." Jetfire replied sternly.

She nodded, and reached an expectant Ironhide and a very frightened Sam.

Jetfire followed the two small beings covered by the protective shadow of the black weapon specialist with his red optics, immensely relieved to find someone who cared so much to thank him. He then took an en-guard stance as much as his old age allowed him, as he turned to the oncoming Decepticons.

"Bring it on!"

As if on cue, a dune exploded in front of him, as the mechanical scorpion, Scorponok, entered the battlefield. Not prepared for this surprise attack, and possessing slow reflexes, Jetfire groaned in pain when Scorponok sliced his abdomen with his sting. Although critically wounded, he managed to kill the Decepticon, smashing his head with his cane.

"I'm too old for this kinda things!"

The large jet muttered as he lowered to the ground.

"Very well, Agent Simmons. The Rail gun is up and running." the captain informed him. "Now we need you to go as close as possible to the target."

Simmons had his eyes focused on the radio, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Devastator's hind paw came down only few inches away from him. It took him all his self-control to prevent himself from yelping in fear, as his clothes still blew in the wind caused by the massive leg when it fell right in front of him. Apparently, as he continued to wreck the pyramid, Devastator had temporarily lost his balance, and his paw came near Simmons to steady its owner.

"I am close enough." Simmons replied, clinging to one of the giant blocks that formed the pyramid for dear life as everything around him quaked and trembled, hoping his voice didn't sound as shaky as he heard it.

A split second later, a massive ray of light stroke, breaking through the air. Devastator was hit dead-on, and tumbled down the pyramid, with Simmons watching, still perched tightly on the block. After the Navy successfully fired on the behemoth, Simmons used the radio to gain military backup for NEST.

Several F-16s flew through the air in pursuit of the Decepticon Air Commander. Starscream had already killed several of Lennox's men, and now he was doing a great job of literally grounding the Fighting Falcons that came to aid the other troops.

Sam and Kim watched from under the crouched form of Ironhide, hovering protectively over them. They were intently watching Starscream's whereabouts, trying to understand if they could find a moment of distraction to avoid being shot down by the flyer.

And the task was becoming more complicated by the second, for visibility was assaulted by Lennox's men, that were scattering smoking canisters all over the place as a signal for the aircrafts to pinpoint their enemies.

"This way!" Epps' voice shouted, bringing both girls' attention on the dark-skinned man.

"Hurry up!!" Major Lennox echoed from behind the Sergeant, beckoning the girls forward.

Without wasting time to sigh in relief, Sam and Kim ran to where Lennox's team was, followed suit by an already heavily damaged Ironhide. Explosions, fire weapons, the whining of hydraulics and deep breathing was all that could be heard for a while.

"I hope those F-16 pilots have a good aim." Sergeant Epps muttered after they all took refuge behind a ruined wall.

"Oh yeah?" Major Lennox replied, not really interested in what his friend was saying, but more focused on what was going on around them. "Why's that?"

"Because I told them to roll in on the orange smoke."

Everyone froze. A dreadful pause. Lennox looked slowly over to a canister that was pouring orange smoke into the sky a few feet to their right. "_THAT_ orange smoke?!"

"It wasn't my best throw…" Epps muttered unsatisfied, berating himself mentally for his disappointing throw.

Lennox drew in a long breath. "Alright…" he calmly said.

"RUN!" Both Major and Sergeant shouted at the same time to Sam and Kim, who were crouching next to them.

The two girls saw the military dart ahead, and followed them immediately. Climbing awkwardly on the wall, Sam and Kim bolted away after them with a vividly cursing Ironhide right on their heels.

The surviving Arcee had already gone ahead to aid her other comrades, leaving only the black weapon specialist to guard the two humans with Lennox's team. Ironhide tried – he really did – to keep his optics on the two small backs that were running in front of him, but the smoke and sand, not to mention the terribly hot sun, were giving him a hard time.

Then, to top it all off, several United States Air Force bombers decided to deliver a 2000-pound JDAM. A lot of help, if you consider that they obliterated the remaining Decepticon troops in the area. A shame that the attacks exploded all around them, electing clouds of smoke and dust, and everyone in the surrounding area found themselves covered in seconds.

But that didn't matter; everyone kept moving forward.

Suddenly, warning signals flashed in Ironhide's CPU, flaring far more brightly than they should have. A searing pain was all he could feel next. System warnings continued to pop up, informing him that something had damaged his cannons, coming dangerously close to a fuel line. It could've been either a Decepticon, or a piece of shrapnel. No way to know now, no time to examine the wound.

He couldn't even see where he was going, let alone the injure, but he kept going, shutting off the nagging red displays that continued to inform him on the status of his weapons. As he continued forward through the blinding cloud of sand and smoke, further examination – that really couldn't be dismissed, no matter how hastily he tried to – confirmed what Ironhide had feared the most.

No, it wasn't that he could have gone offline for the lack of Energon if the fuel line had been cut. It was the drastic solution that his CPU suggested – more like sent as an ultimatum – to force the old warrior to ignore the constantly appearing warnings: his CPU came up with the right solution, yes, but it wasn't one that Ironhide was happy to follow.

He didn't want to lose _both_ his most trusted weapons!!

Another explosion went off close to him… too slagging close! Ironhide staggered nearer the wall, black paint staying to adorn the ruin as his body painfully scraped against it. When had he become so clumsy? So oblivious to his surroundings? Not that one could make out anything in this mess, but still.

Both his arms began to sting badly, and Ironhide realized that his cannons were going to self-destroy themselves, if he kept on ignoring the warnings. Live now, fight later. That was all it took the weapon master to make his decision.

Fighting down a wince and stifling a diverse amount of curses and expletives in both Cybertronian and English (that he would gladly let loose on whoever forced him to do such a disgusting deed), Ironhide ejected his weapons as he continued to run for his life under the bombs.

A loud explosion forced Ironhide to stagger out of the smoke cloud that was elected as another rain of missiles came down behind him. As everyone kept going, regardless of the artillery blowing up all around them, the yellow/black powder thickened, decreasing visibility, even for Ironhide's advanced systems, dropping it to nearly zero.

Heavily damaged, practically weaponless and cursing widely, the weapon specialist covered behind a large half-crumbled wall, with his back against the stone, and tried to examine the wounds. He still couldn't see the injures through the massive amounts of sand, dust and (slagged) orange smoke, so all he could do was putting his black hands on the offended areas in an attempt to shield the sensitive metal. He was still receiving scans from the aching injuries.

Once the dust and debris started to settle a bit, Ironhide attempted to survey the damaged areas again. The normally black metal was still slightly red from the heat of the attack, and both his arms now sported a significant hole, just where his cannons were attached to. Few wires were sticking out of the wound on one arm, while on the other the hydraulic pistons that made his protoform were very well visible. To top it all off, there even were some cut cables from which his mechfluid was oozing lightly, dripping from the melted alloy and burnt supports.

_Fragging perfect!_

It didn't look like it was the work of a piece of shrapnel; moreover, it didn't look all too good, and, more importantly, it hurt like Pit! Either a Decepticon got a lucky shot, or it was friendly fire.

_Friendly fire._ What an interesting choice of words.

If even your friends fired on you, then what was the slagging _point_ of having enemies?!

Ironhide sighed. This wasn't good at all. If he remained there he could be shot down by a surviving Decepticon, or succumb under another rain of 'friendly fire'. His CPU came up with another _brilliant _idea. He had to call Ratchet. He dispatched the thought as quickly as he had gotten it, because: a) Ratchet didn't have any slagging time, and b) Ironhide wasn't that badly damaged after all… c) hanging around Sam and Kim improved his lying skills. No time to sit there and ponder those silly thoughts. After all, war is war!

As he tried to stand, Ironhide was surprised to see the lime green medic run towards him. The black warrior cursed internally. It looked like Primus wanted it different for him. The weapon specialist braced himself for the yelling of their medic, scolding him about how he should have called immediately for assistance, and waited for Ratchet to run the few steps that separated them. To Ironhide's utter surprise, the medic rushed past him, his young blue apprentice not far behind him. The black fighter stood stunned for a moment, before two anguished screams reached his audio receptors.

He turned in time to see Ratchet skittering to a halt before two young burnt and still bodies. His spark stopped pulsing, and the air caught in his intakes at the sight, that unleashed similar reactions from his comrades as well.

Paramedics rushed, scattering all around the two girls, trying to reanimate them, while Ratchet surveyed their work as he hovered over them.

The two sisters were both laying on their backs, legs slightly bent, looking as if someone had delicately placed them on the sand to sleep, instead of being roughly thrown in that constricted position by an explosion. The flesh that their tank tops and jeans left uncovered, that same skin that was naturally tanned, was now scorched and burnt, and where it wasn't, it was graced by a bloody wound.

Sam's curly hair had already fallen from its high ponytail, now freely pooling around her head and upper body like a pillow. Her green halter top was sporting a fresh hole under her left breast, where a new cut was bleeding profusely. Her black Capri pants were ripped, and blood and dirt were splattered haphazardly all over her clothes.

Kim had fared no better from the blast that hit them. Various cuts were ripped open on her bare arms, and her orange tank top and white jeans were stained and smeared with blood and dust. Some of her brown locks were blowing gently in the wind, while others were stuck to her sweaty skin.

Lennox was the first to arrive along with Epps. The dark-skinned man crouched down next to Sam. Gingerly, he moved few strands of hair that were stubbornly stuck in the blood oozing from a cut above her left eye. Her face was contracted in pain and surprise. Her chest heaved so feebly, it was hard to tell if she was breathing at all.

Moving out of the way of the shouting paramedics, Epps glanced at Lennox. The Major placed his index and middle finger over the hacker's neck and waited, trying to feel a heart beat. Tension started to build faster, as each second passed by without him feeling Kim's artery push against his fingertips. With his lips parted fully to grasp as much oxygen as he could after the mad dash they all had to take, Will looked down at the girl's still body with wide eyes. Her mouth was close, and a little trail of blood ran down the right side of it. Her eyes were shut as well, as if she was slumbering, but the truth was another…

After what looked like an eternity spent searching for a sign of life, the Major had to come to the tragic conclusion that he'd found none. Just like Ratchet had to do with Kim, when she wordlessly asked him if Optimus Prime was still alive, Will found himself doing the same… something he really hadn't even _thought _about doing.

Lennox shook his head.

_KIM! SAM! PRIMUS NO! _

Sam and Kim's parents were running ahead of the now fully transformed Jazz and Bumblebee, and had to be stopped by at least five soldiers, as their desperation made them first glide and then brought them to their knees a few feet away from their lifeless daughters.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe skidded to a halt in front of the two girls, as Jolt came up behind Ratchet, and the surviving Arcee stood stock-still across from them. Shock, horror and fear were written in big bold letters on all of their faceplates. How could that happen?! First Optimus and then them. How?! Why?! How could _they_ let this happen?!

Jazz felt his knee joints dissolve from under him, and gave in, falling on the ground with a dull thud. Kim's beautiful smile and sarcastic personality flashed in his memory banks, as he felt his clawed fist clench, and pulled it close to his chest. He had the urge to bang it in the sand in front of him, but someone else beat him to that. A bright yellow hand connected with the desert ground, creating a small crater.

Jazz shifted his optics to look sideways at his left, and noticed Bumblebee, wearing his battle mask over his normally cheerful faceplate to cover up the mix of anger and sorrow that graced his expression, as he repeatedly brought his fist up and slammed it down on the yellowish soil, enlarging the hole with each new strike.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker looked at the two guardians, then at their still wards as they were being treated by the humans. The Twins couldn't recall seeing _Jazz_, let alone _Bumblebee_, of all Autobots, ever being really angry. Sideswipe tried to put a hand on the spy, to try and calm him down, and also to offer comfort, but he harshly repelled it. Jazz could understand Bumblebee's feelings, as well as Sideswipe's concealed ones.

The tall silver mech stood back and said nothing more. Jazz's suspects were confirmed when he heard the young frontline soldier's undignified curse and a metallic hiss as his blades slid out of concealment on his forearms. He barely moved, and a nearby already damaged tank was suddenly ripped out.

The NEST soldiers that had gathered around the two fallen girls nearly jumped out of their skins when they saw Sunstreaker snarl out something in his language, before kicking a piece of the bisected tank in frustration and anger, causing it to fly a good distance away.

Ratchet had knelt down when Lennox said that it was already too late for Kim. He scanned her body from head to toe, always receiving the same hated response… the same one he received when this very girl asked him about Optimus' condition. He felt his spark skip a beat. He told the girl to have hope, he told her to never give up, and now he and his comrades hadn't been able to protect them.

Ever so gently, Lennox took Kim's head in his hands, before letting it rest on his lap, as he tried hard not to cry, while he glanced across from them to see if Sam had a chance to wake up. They were so close. Optimus' body laid no more than ten meters away from them. And yet, they didn't make it…

Lennox's gaze travelled on Kim's frame, following her limp arm to her bruised hand, that was resting on top of her sister's. It was quite singular the way their hands rested on top of each other… there even was a white-bluish dust that was spilling in the wind across their bodies from the battered handkerchief. For a moment Lennox thought that maybe, maybe there still was hope. His shocked mind just dismissed the thought as nothing more than a silly hypothesis. His head lowered when he felt Epps' hand squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.

Sounds of the still waging battle mixed with the agonized cries of Ron and Judy, the colourful curses of some of the Autobots, the hurried voices of the paramedics, and the rhythmic shocks that jolted Sam's form, until all the noises became distant and too confused to identify.

And while the world went on with its routine, while the planet continued its course, oblivious of all that died for it, while the sea rushed to shore and the birds sang, while their eyes cried, and their hearts beat faster and faster as Sam's and Kim's slowed down and stopped, above this small rock of mud and water, the sun shone brightly, making the Matrix dust glister and spark as it spilled across the girls' joined hands. The sun still refused to stop shining, even though all the light that this star cast on them couldn't break the inky dark that had so cruelly and suddenly obscured their hopes…

Wow! That's pretty sad, ain't it? Hope you liked this chapter as well as the others! Now there are only two chapters to go! *sniff, sniff*

Don't miss the next chappie!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next time… see ya!!!!;-)


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